The significance of Hawaiki in Maori oral traditions is paramount. The use and suggestion of Hawaiki as the homeland of Maori is seen in the many forms of oral traditions used often by Maori, then recorded upon the arrival of european settlement later on in time. Firstly addressing what is considered oral tradition and then addressing what, who or where is Hawaiki we can identify the significance Hawaiki holds in oral tradition.
Oral traditions are by the Encyclopaedia Britannica definition ‘the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written language. It is transmitted by word of mouth as does literature, of both prose and songs, myths, dramas, rituals, proverbs, riddles and the like. Nearly all known peoples now and in the past, have produced it’. Therefore from this we know that Māori oral traditions include but are not limited to karakia (prayer), whaikōrero (formal speech or oratory), whakatauki (proverbial speech), waiata (song) and pakiwaitara (stories and mythology).
The purpose of Oral traditions especially in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) is to pass on, retain or remember knowledge and information. Another extremely important aspect of oral tradition especially for Maori is communication. Karakia is communication between the people and Atua. Whaikōrero is used today as communication between tangata whenua (people of the land) and manuhiri (visitors) when at a marae. Waiata is very multifaceted and can be a form of communicating opinions, emotions and sharing that with others whilst being remembered for generations to come. An example of this occurring still today is in our Kapa Haka festivals nationally like Te Matatini whose mission statement is ‘To foster, develop and protect Kapa Haka in the pu...
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Tamehana, Hohepa. ‘He Kakano Ahau, I Ruia Mai I Rangiātea’. NZ Folk songs, updated 20-Oct-07. Web. A4 Apr 2014
Te Ahukaramū, Charles Royal. 'Hawaiki', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 9-Nov-12. Web. 29 Apr 2014
Te Ahukaramū, Charles Royal. 'Hawaiki - The Significance Of Hawaiki', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 15-Nov-12 . Web. 29 Apr 2014
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Sonia P. Juvik, James O. Juvik. Atlas of Hawaii. 3rd Edition. Hilo: University of Hawai'i Press, 1998.
By analyzing the Kawaiisu, a Great Basin Native tribe, I want to explore cultural wonders and observe their society as I compare an aspect of interest with that of another culture in the world, the Chuuk. Comparing different societies of the world will allow me to successfully learn about the Kawaiisu people in a more detailed and open minded manner. Populations all around the world throughout time have had different views and traditions of beliefs. Through this project, I hope to unravel and gain an understanding of different perspectives and ways of life.
The indigenous Australian culture is one of the world’s oldest living cultures. Despite the negligence and the misunderstanding from the Europeans, Aboriginals were able to keep their culture alive by passing their knowledge by arts, rituals, performances and stories from one generation to another. Each tribe has its own language and way of using certain tools; however the sharing of knowledge with other tribes helps them survive with a bit easier with the usage of efficient yet primitive tools which helps a culture stay alive. Speaking and teaching the language as well as the protection of sacred sites and objects helps the culture stay...
Thurston, Lorrin A. “A hand-book on the annexation of Hawaii.” Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection (1897).
The article by J. Osorio entitled Gazing Back: Communing with our Ancestors, began with a tribute to David Hanlon who was an inspirational and important teacher and figure in Osorio's life. For me, reading this article was so moving, inspiring and a microcosm of an entire semesters' accumulation of knowledge and insight into a culture which I have lived along side my entire life but never fully understood. I do not know if comparing my appreciation for professor Osorio to his of David Hanlon is a worthy praise because Hanlon has affected Osorio's entire life, but I do know that I have never believed in the spirit of contemplation of a culture so much until now and sitting through six weeks of Hawaiian Studies class.
Swinburn, Boyd. et al. ‘Do Polynesians Still Believe that Big is Beautiful?, in New Zealand Medical Journal,1996, 109. 100-103
Hawaii is a top vacation destination by many tourists all over the world. When Hawaii comes to mind many people and different cultures imagine sandy beaches, warm, blue waters, lush green backdrops, Hula dancers in grass skirts with flowers in their hair and leis around their necks. These visual representations are iconic symbols of Hawaii and of what many have come to define as Hawaiian. These images and ideas painted by the visitor industry most often take place at the expense of the Hawaiians historic culture. These stereotypes conjured up by the tourist indus...
In the chronological, descriptive ethnography Nest in the Wind, Martha Ward described her experience on the rainy, Micronesian island of Pohnpei using both the concepts of anthropological research and personal, underlying realities of participant observation to convey a genuine depiction of the people of Pohnpei. Ward’s objective in writing Nest in the Wind was to document the concrete, specific events of Pohnpeian everyday life and traditions through decades of change. While informing the reader of the rich beliefs, practices, and legends circulated among the people of Pohnpei, the ethnography also documents the effects of the change itself: the island’s adaptation to the age of globalization and the survival of pre-colonial culture.
A small archipelago off the northwest coast of Britsh Columbia is known as the “islands of the people.” This island is diverse in both land and sea environment. From the 1700’s when the first ship sailed off its coast and a captain logged about the existence, slow attentiveness was given to the island. Its abundance, in both natural resources physical environment, and its allure in the concealed Haida peoples, beckoned settlers to come to the island. Settlers would spark an era of prosperity and catastrophe for the native and environmental populations.
...e" (Trask xix). This incident beautifully illustrates and signifies tourism's impact in American society. Like most Americans, this woman uses a discourse that has been shaped by tourist advertisements and souvenirs. The woman's statement implies that Trask resembles what the tourist industry projects, as if this image created Hawaiian culture. As Trask asserts, Hawaiian culture existed long before tourism and has been exploited by tourism in the form of advertisements and items such as postcards. Along with the violence, endangered environment, and poverty, this exploitation is what the tourist industry does not want to show. However, this is the Hawai'i Haunani-Kay Trask lives in everyday. "This is Hawai'i, once the most fragile and precious of sacred places, now transformed by the American behemoth into a dying land. Only a whispering spirit remains" (Trask 19).
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2009). Communication between cultures. Auckland: Cengage Learning.
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge and skills that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment. IK is unique to given cultures, localities and societies and is acquired through daily experience. It is embedded in community practices, institutions, relationships and rituals. Because IK is based on, and is deeply embedded in local experience and historic reality, it is therefore unique to that specific culture; it also plays an important role in defining the identity of the community. Similarly, since IK has developed over the centuries of experimentation on how to adapt to local conditions. That is Indigenous ways of knowing informs their ways of being. Accordingly IK is integrated and driven from multiple sources; traditional teachings, empirical observations and revelations handed down generations. Under IK, language, gestures and cultural codes are in harmony. Similarly, language, symbols and family structure are interrelated. For example, First Nation had a
The Treaty of Waitangi is a very important document to New Zealand. It is an agreement that was drawn up by representatives of the British Crown and Maori Hapu and Iwi. It was first signed at the Bay of Islands on February 6th, 1840. There has been a lot of debate over the years about the translation of words between the English and Te Reo Maori versions of the text and the differences in the word meaning over the who languages. In this assignment I am going to cover the rights and responsibilities that the treaty contains and an explanation of the differences in wordings and I am also going to contextualise my understanding of the differences of wording against the Maori Worldview and the Declaration of Independence.
According to Maori legends and myths Te reo Maori is one of the treasures give to them by Tane, (God of the forest) when he climbed to the twelfth heavens to collect the three kete of knowledge that man-kind needed for survival (Pohatu, 2000). Te reo Maori is a unique identity of all Maori people, it is sacred and indigenous language because it was handed to them by their ancestors to be treasured, nurtured and encourage to positive influence the future generations (Barlow, 1991). In the Maori tradition they used Te reo to pass down their history, tell myths and legends, to korero through karakia, waiata and education from ear to ear (Pohatu, 2000). For instance the significance of Te reo Maori still can be seen when they have gathering at the Marae to welcome, waiata and do karakia before kai.