#Te Whaiao

[thisisgraeme]

Te Ara TuhiTuhi: Master the Journey from Initial Idea to Polished Composition

Te Ara TuhiTuhi: A System for Learning How to Write Better Welcome to “Te Ara TuhiTuhi,” a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand writing system designed to transform your initial ideas into polished prose.  This system takes you through a cyclical journey, mirroring the natural progression from the birth of an idea to its full realisation in writing. Here’s how you can navigate each…

[tcj237131]

Blog 2, Tikanga

The key aim of this reading is to give the viewer an understanding of tikanga. It looks in depth at how each underlying principle and value plays a part in the whole system that is tikanga.

For generations tikanga has been a way of life in Māori culture, as it is a set of values and principles prominent in their culture. Tikanga can be seen as similar to Māori world-view, as it encompasses the surrounding world and its environment. It is apparent from birth and continues to play an important role in all decisions and actions. It is difficult to imagine any social situation where tikanga Māori has no place.

Looking at how these principles and values play a part in tikanga gives you an understanding of what is entailed when using tikanga Māori in the correct context. Iwi to Iwi; there have been differences of opinions about the range of values that underpin tikanga Māori. Values could then be regarded as unreal (Mead, H. 27). However people do try to reach towards the values and practice them to the degree that they can manage.

“In understanding the nature of tikanga it is advisable to emphasise the concept of pono, since it is an old idea and because it’s meaning is free of connotations” (Mead, H. 26). Pono refers to “true or genuine”. Tika which means ‘right’ or ‘correct’,  is a base principle that applies to all tikanga. In order to qualify as tikanga Māori a ceremony needs to be correct and true to the principles and values of Māori culture.

“Williams (2000) argues that tikanga Māori deals not so much with rules and regulations but with values which are subject to various cultural tests of appropriateness, correctness and adequacy” (Mead, H. 27).

REFERENCES

http://maoridictionary.co.nz

Higgens, Rawinia. and Moorefield, John. “Ngā tikanga o te marae”. Ki te whaiao: An introduction to Māori culture and society. Auckland: Pearson Eduction New Zealand, 73-74. 2004.

Mead, Hirini Moko. “Chapter 2: Ngā Pūtake o te Tikanga - Underlying Principles And Values”. Tikanga Māori: Living By Māori Values. Aotearoa: Huia Publishers, 2003. 25-34.

Makareti, Tina. “Twitch”. Shift, An Anthology of Winners of the Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing. Ed. Bill Manhire. Wellington: Royal Society of New Zealand, 2012. 88 - 101

[davidmarshallccc-blog]

Final Blogpost - Henimihi

This is a peculiar sight. A traditional Maori whare with a thatched roof residing in a quaint English country garden.  It was made in New Zealand during the colonization boom. The treaty of Waitangi had been signed in 1840 and the country was under British rule. It was a time of great change for the Maori and their place as a people. A steady stream European tourists from all over the world travelled to experience the cultural and natural wonder of the central North Island. Tourism has long shaped interactions and perceptions of Maori (Bruke 18). Hinemihi was built in 1880 as a meeting house to show tourists traditional Maori life. During the eruption of Mt Tarewera in 1886 it sheltered about fifty people, the only building left standing in the town of Te Wairoa. Six years later it was bought for just Fifty pounds by Lord Onslow as a souvenir of his time spent in New Zealand. This however is a contentious and dubious exchange. The son of the original builder thought at the time that it was being sold to “the government” (Gallop 96), not a private overseas owner. The building was treated as an oddity and was used for a range of mundane uses. It was even considered as being a nightclub at one stage, sadly many other indigenous buildings displaced to foreign lands have suffered such a fate. (Schwarzpaul 46) 

But for the Maori a whare is more than a physical building of wood, flax and paint. In Hinemihi’s case it represents a distinguished woman chieftain, one of the very few whare built with such a name. It is a living being that requires the respect and love that entails its intangible yet sentient life (Higgens 47). The building has life and feeling. The carvings have especially high value and display the fabric of Maori culture. 

This image was taken when Hinemihi was restored, its thatched roof part of the mingling of the two cultures. For a time, it became a symbolic and spiritual meeting place for Maori in England. However, the future of Hinemihi is now at uncertain after a devastating fire at Clandon Park. The relationship between the expatriate Maori and Clandon park has become strained as what is left of the original structure and carvings now lie in storage. This raises some difficult ethical issues. The cost to rebuild Henemishi is immense. The jury is still out on whether Henemihi should stay in a foreign land and serve its people there or come back to its homeland. But this then raises even more issues such as where would it be put and who has rightful authority over it. Also, how much, if any, contemporary Maori art and design should influence its future appearance.

Hinemihi is a symbol of the unique relationship between that two counties a coming together of peoples. She has seen a lot of change in her life, a symbol not just of times past but also of the ongoing relationship between two very different cultures. Hopefully she can continue this role into the future in a respectable state. 

References:

Alan Gallop, The house with the golden Eyes, Running horse Books, 1998, Print.

Bruke, G, Cultural Safety, Wellington, Wellington City Gallary, 1995, Print.

Engels-Schwarzpaul, “Take me away… in Search of Original Dwelling.” A Journal of Architecture and Related Arts, Vol. 10, 2005, 42-51, Print.

Higgins, R., & Moorfeild, J., Ngā tikanga o te marae. In Kit e Whaiao: An Introduction to Māori Culture and Society. Auckland, Pearson Education New Zealand Limited, 2004

[leximillsccc]

Works Cited

Higgens, R & Moorefields, J. “Ngā tikanga o te marae.”  Ki te Whaiao: An Introduction to Māori Culture and Society. Pearsons Education New Zealand Limited, 2004. p73-74