class 4 - Te Kore, te Pō, te Ao Mārama - the origins of Tikanga Māori

Question 1

what is tikanga

Answer 1

customs and traditional values, especially in a maori context

Question 2

what was the maori social and political organization briefly explain

Answer 2

maori customary rights were closely intertwined in matters to ancestry, kinship relations

Question 3

define kinship

Answer 3

kinship is the term for the relationships between people in a family or community. It can also refer to a feeling of closeness to others.

Question 4

briefly describe the iwi model (3)

Answer 4

assumes that the iwi, hapu, whanau were organised in segmentary hierachies of iwi (tribe), hapu (sub-tribe), whanau (extended family).

iwi was made of a certain number of hapu, hapu made up of a certain number of whanau

each group was managed by a hierarchal structure of command

Question 5

why, since the 1970s, has the iwi model come under attack/scrutiny? and who has criticised this? (3)

Answer 5

historians and anthropologists see it as too simplistic and static, ignoring the role of hapu as a functioning corporate group

absence of clearly defined hapu and iwi boundaries

tendency for maori descent groups to wax and wane over time

Question 6

iwi vs hapu

Answer 6

iwi is the largest social unit in society

hapu is like a subtribe

Question 7

what does codify mean

Answer 7

arrange (laws or rules) into a systematic code

Question 8

what was the first act to codify the iwi model

Answer 8

runanga iwi act 1990

Question 9

what was the runanga iwi act of 1990

Answer 9

The Rūnanga Iwi Act 1990 was a short-lived piece of legislation in New Zealand that aimed to establish a formal structure for Māori governance by allowing iwi (tribes) to create rūnanga (tribal councils) recognized by the government. These rūnanga would act as legal entities to manage tribal affairs, land, and resources, essentially giving them official status in dealings with the Crown and other organizations.

Question 10

why was the runanga act contriversal

Answer 10

However, the Act was controversial among Māori. Many iwi rejected it because they saw it as an attempt by the government to impose a standardized governance structure on them, rather than respecting their own traditional ways of organizing leadership and decision-making. Some feared it would undermine traditional authority, while others were concerned about government control over iwi affairs. Due to this widespread opposition, the Act was repealed in 1991, just a year after it was passed.