Maori Creation Myth
The foundation of almost every culture in the world has a creation myth explaining how the wonders of the earth came to be. These myths have a powerful influence over the people’s culture, and the way they think about their surroundings. Creation myths usually begin with the theme of birth; birth represents new life and a new beginning. Creation myths develop over the centuries through oral tradition, and are the most common form of myths found throughout human culture (Murtagh). The Maori are the aboriginal tribe that inhabits New Zealand.
They are believed to have emigrated from the Polynesian Islands to New Zealand in the 500-year period between 800-1300 CE. Much evidence found suggests that the Maori share many common words with the Polynesian languages along with cultural values. The Maori are one of the most successful groups of aboriginal tribes in terms of surviving colonization. Their cultural traditions have withstood invasion from the European nations. Concerns about the decline in the original Maori language today have led to schools teaching solely in Maori so that the language remains an important part of the culture.
The Maori have embraced modern societal structures, which is one of the main reasons they have remained successful. They have formed a major political power in New Zealand, have influenced school studies, and recently have devised their own television network (“The Maori”). In the beginning of the Maori’s creation myth, there was only darkness, Te Ponui, Te Poroa (the Great Night, the Long Night). In the absence of the empty space, a glow appeared and the moon and the sun sprang forth and the heavens were made light.
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Rangi (the Sky Father) lived with Papa (the Earth Mother), but as the two lived together, their children lived in darkness. The children could not see, and argued to how night and day might be manifested. Tumatauenga (god of war) encouraged that they kill their parents, but Tane Mahuta (god of the forests) advised that they separate their father Rangi from their mother Papa. Rongo (god of cultivated food) and Tangaroa (god of the sea) tried to separate them, but failed. Tane Mahuta achieved the task of separating his parents, and that was when night distinguished from day.
Rangi was heartbroken, and shed an immense quantity of tears, so that the oceans were formed (“The Maori”). The creation of woman was fashioned from clay by Tane Mahuta. He breathed life into her nostrils, and she became Hine-hauone (‘the Earth-formed Maid’). She bore Tane Mahuta a daughter, Hine-titama (‘the Dawn Maid’) who in time also bore daughters to Tane. Hine-titama was unaware of her father’s identity, and when she found he was the Tane she thought, was her husband, she was overwhelmed with shame. Hine-titama left the world of light, Te Ao, and moved to Te Po, the world below.
She became known as Hinenui-te-Po (‘Great Hine the Night’) (“Maori Mythology”). “The children of Tane were plentiful, and increased and multiplied, for death held no dominion over them” (“Maori Mythology”). The creation myth emphasizes the elements of nature such as wind and water. Most of the Maori settlements are near coastal terraces. Fishing is a significant part of the Maori culture, and of their major food sources. When Rangi shed tears due to his separation from Papa, it explained the forming of the oceans.
Some of Rangi and Papa’s children decided to turn their mother over so that she and Rangi would not have to see one another’s grief and grieving. The act of rotating the earth is called Te Hurihanga a Mataaho, the overturning of Mataaho. The act is named after the child that had seen the rotation occur. After the rotation, Rangi’s tears are less than before, and are the dew drops that form in the night on Papa’s back (the earth’s surface) (“Maori”). The Maori have kept most of their cultural traditions alive to this day.
A contemporary Maori individual following traditional ways perform certain actions for certain rituals that were used from their ancestors. “Spiritual entities such as ‘mauri’ are thought to be subject not so much to the laws of science as to the traditional laws that govern ritual” (Patterson). People around the New Zealand region to this day can hear individuals chant these ancient words; according to tradition, these were performed primarily because of the emergence of ‘mauri’ from the chaos of ‘Te Korekore’.
The spiritual basis of the Maori is not over and done with to this day in age; they are continuing to be re-enacted from time to time to help continue the Maori traditions flourish. ‘Mauri’ is considered to be a very real and important concept of the tradition of today’s Maori world. The concept of ‘mauri’ is alive to this day without a doubt. A local newspaper reported an article on a proposal to stop discharging sewage into a local river. A Maori leader expressed to say that the discharge had brought about an imbalance in the ‘mauri’ of the river; and without ‘mauri’, nothing can flourish. Mauri’ is said to not only affect living things, but rivers, mountains, villages, institutions, and even activities and events (Patterson). Studying the Maori philosophy today is difficult for outsiders because the important philosophical ideas that the Maori have do not translate straightforwardly into English. This is part of another culture which expresses ideas that are foreign to the English speaking world. The meaning of ‘mauri’ can take up many meanings; ‘life force’, ‘life principle’, ‘character’, ‘essence’, ‘uniqueness’, ‘quality’, or even ‘value’.
Current findings in the scientific explanations of the Maori concepts have shown in parts of Western and Eastern China. The idea of ‘mauri’ or life force has made the Maori a sophisticated culture with a powerful environmental philosophy. Their philosophy demands that they treat the natural world with respect, and to acknowledge and care about the being of every creature the earth inhabits; to try to make sure that their interactions with the world leave it to being a better place.
The Maori philosophy has the ultimate principle of unity (Patterson). The Maori culture is obviously one that dates back thousands of years ago, and has proven to survive through time to this day of age. Their practices through religion, farming, spirituality, educational upbringing, and language has survived and lived on. The Maori creation myth is quite an interesting tale, and even though it was similar to Babylonian myth, it had its distinct differences.
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Maori Creation Myth. (2018, Jul 07). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/maori-creation-myth/
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