Maori Social And Cultural Values In The Muru

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According to Jackson (1988), the persistent myth that no real law existed in New Zealand prior to 1840, is a racist and colonising myth used to justify the imposition of ongoing application of law from Britain. Pre-European Maori society regulated behaviour and punished wrongdoings through the sanction of muru. Jackson defines muru as, “a legalised system of plundering as penalty for offences, which in a rough way resembled (the Pakeha) law by which a man is obliged to pay damages” (p.40). Due to the law brought and imposed by settlers, it rendered Maori’s values, ways of thinking, and living. This essay aims to discuss the Maori social and cultural values expressed in the sanction muru. Furthermore, how the British opposition to the use of …show more content…

The ultimate goal of muru is to find the means to restore balance from the offence (Jackson, 1988). According to Quince (2007), muru is operated under the organising principles and beliefs of Maori society before colonisation: tapu, hara, mana, and utu. According to Quince’s formula; an individual breaches tapu when committing an offence (hara ), which becomes an attack on the person’s status (mana ) and in response, an intervention is needed to restore balance (utu ). These general principles of Maori law helped organised how offending was to be understood and dealt with. In addition, these principles provided a basic framework for Maori society to function in an orderly manner (Jackson, 1988). Muru acknowledges the spiritual and lineage ties that; committing an offence is tapu to themselves and their wider networks and ancestors, therefore, compensation is essential to restore the balance that has been taken away and to protect their mana (Quince, 2007). Thus, muru expresses cultural and social values of Maori society which were embedded in their everyday lives before

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