Maori Tribal Religion

Maori Tribal Religion

Maori is a group of people found in New Zealand.  They occupy the two islands in New Zealand. They make up to 15% of the population. They have a traditional tribal religion that involved the worship of a supreme god called the Io while there were other departments.  Societal and family gods that people worship before the coming of the colonialist.   They also believed in life after death and the reason they had such a tremendous reverence for the spirits.   They had special people who had been selected by the Tohunga (the high burns) who acted as the mediums for the gods.   They were involved in the interpretation of signs as well as addressing and sacrificing for gods on behalf of the people. They sued to offer sacrifices in Tuahu, which was a particular shrine that had been consulted for offering sacrifices.  The priests were consulted in all the affairs of the society, including the strategies for war as well as the economic and political arena.  This paper will address the tribal religion of the moral people. In doing so, the paper will focus on the origin of the religion, the place it developed, when it started, and the changes that took place and the primary source of authority it offers to people for making moral or ethical choices.  Furthermore, the paper will also look at the setting of the period, comparison between the society then and today, how the philosophies of the religion compare with its neighbors, the strengths and weakness of the religion an and the issues that present a challenge to tribal moral religion today (Roorda and Peace, 2009).  The paper will have organized into an introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

The Maori people are found in the northern and southern islands in New Zealand.    It is believed this group of people migrated from Polynesia in around 1300 Ad and settled in New Zealand (Best, 1941). They hailed from different places, and therefore they had different cultures.  When they migrated, they brought with them their beliefs and values to New Zealand, and they lived, thus, for centuries without being disturbed. Because different cultures lived together for a long time in New Zealand, their cultures started to evolve, which resulted in the formation of traditions and customs over time.  Their way of life, including their politics and the social structure, continue to develop and become highly sophisticated.  As the population grew, the war started erupting because there was a strain in the available resources as the people were mainly hunters and gathers. Apart from the scarcity of resources, they were also fighting over mana, which represented a sense of a person, scared force, or the spiritual essence.  

They believed that mana was crucial and significant part of every living being and astoundingly powerful (Sachdev, 1989). People could be able to gain manna according to their traditions, either vial genealogical lines or through personal wealth.  Wealth was measured in terms of land since it was an essential resource to them and the person who was the wealthiest controlled vast portion of it. They esteemed their values, beliefs, and traditions a big deal, and therefore they were ready to fight as each tribe strived to preserve the mana that they gained from the land. They believed that the supernatural force that man had was pivotal in determining how the world and their lives would be (Best, 1941). The tribal religion of the Maori was characterized by belief in many gods, with many stories explaining how life and the earth were created. However, with the coming of the British to   New Zealand, the Maori traditional beliefs have been blended with Christianity, with most of the today being Christians.  Primarily, most of them are Roman Catholics or Presbyterians.  In contemporary society, the Maori conduct their services such as the traditional language with the other people given translations of what was said in pamphlets.

The Maori religion developed in New Zealand, which is the home of the Maori people. New Zealand is composed of two islands, the northern and the southern islands. The Island in the north if relatively flat with undulating terrain. The island on the south is more massive and hillier.  Before the habitation of the two islands, they were under forest cover. The Maori are thought to be the original inhabitants of New Zealand, and they have relied on the moa, which is a flightless bird that they hunted for sustenance until it was extinct.  This is the area where the mingling of the different tribes gave birth to the Maori tribal religion.

It is believed that the migration of Maori to New Zealand was between 1320 and 1350. However, they migrated in waves in canoes. The combination of different cultures in new Zealand’s during this time began to give rise to the original form of religion where they believed in a pantheon of gods (Best, 1941). Their culture believes a customs were reshaped as they learned to coexist. This gave rise to the traditional Maori religion. However, the new Maori religion began when the Maori chief signed the treaty of Waitangi with the British government that meant that the Maori people would not lose their land to the Europeans.  However, the Britons later seized their land made the Maori people reservist.  The colonization gave birth to the spread of Christianity, which most of the Maori people subscribe to.

The sources of power for the religion to make ethics decision was the possession of mana. The possession of mana had significant personal and behavioral prerequisite, which is still valued in Maori society today (Sachdev, 1989). There is a particular emphasis that is placed on some aspects of an individual’s life sushi as success in the spiral real, effective leadership, and being in a position to effective mastery of the traditional culture us great importance in this culture. Thus, the more mana a person possesses, in terms of the mastery of tradition, means that they are required to be ethical than the others with low possession of mana.  Tapu was also a crucial source of authority when making moral decisions since if one offended tapu, chances are they will be befallen by evil (Sachdev, 1989).  Thus a person has to be ethical and observe the laws so that calamities could not befall them.

Some of the sources of authority were more reliable than others in the Maori religious beliefs.  They believed that mana was very crucial in society, which makes the society still depend on the possession of mana which signifies spirituality seniority. Mana, which was inherited from the family and through the traditions of the community, was more reliable since the people had more experience with it than tapu, which exited in the atmosphere.  Mana was with the people throughout while tapu merged only when the occasion dictated so (Sachdev, 1989).

The first part of the settlement of the Maori people was full of peace, and the different tribes stayed without any external disturbance. However, this did not last for a long time since the arrival of Europeans meant a new era of war. The Maori fought the white people who eventually overpowered them, and their gods did not help them sufficiently, which resulted in their defeat.  This conflict also gave rise to the internal conflict between the different tribes of the Maori who were losing land to the Britons. This conflict continued until the tribes embraced Christianity and technology that was brought by the British people. The traditional society of the Maori people is not very different from today (Best, 1941). They hold dear most of their traditions, some of which have been adopted by New Zealand.  One thing that is still present to date is Hongi and Moko, which were traditional greetings of the Maori people. In this form of greeting, the Maori people pressed their nose instead of kissing a person on the cheek.  While the Moko was the spiral style markings that used to resemble the social status of the people, another thing is the Te Reo Maori, which is was the language of the Maori which is currently being had as a national treasure in New Zealand.  This language is being adopted in school and is being celebrated (Best, 1941). The haka, which was the traditional dance of the Maori, is still being practiced today by the rugby team before they engage in any match. However, some religious activities have been replaced by modernity, such as the god stick, which was used for traditional rituals of communicating with gods and spirits. The god stick was the intermediary between the priest who was performing the ceremony and the spirit of the god that was being contacted.  This has been replaced with prayer in the modem Christian setting. An excellent example of the church of the Ratana, which was formed by a Maori movement which was teaching about god instead of the spirits and was against some of the Maori beliefs such as curving, tapu, tohungaism, and tribalism among the people. Therefore, even though society has changed slightly due to the adoption of Christianity, most of the traditional beliefs are still observed by people.  Christianity is a mixture of Maori traditional beliefs and the new beliefs introduced by the British h who colonized them.

The system of faith for the Maori people was complicated, not like the Romans or the traditions of the Jewish people. However, it compared with the Romans and the Jewish in that they believed in a single all-powerful creator.  The Maori called their supernatural being Io and was the center of the religion.  Io was the essence of the Maori religion and existed in pace.   They believed that this supernatural being had no parents, and he created himself.   The other gods were consulted when the Maori believed that what was affecting their community within their domain.  This compares with the belief of the roman, the Jewish who thought that there is a supernatural being who created the universe and existed from eternity to eternity.  The supernatural being was also not created by the existed in the space, just the Io. However, the Romans and the Jewish faith did not have other gods that they consulted, and worship was purely monotheist, while that of Maori was a polytheist. The followed the happening of nature to determine the god to consult while the Romans n.d the Jewish form of worship continued and documented in a holy book.  IO was to be respected and was referred to as tapu, something holy and sacred and out of reach for people (Best, 1941). This means that he was to be adored, and nobody was allowed to disregard his commands. This compares with the Jewish and the roman faiths that stress the need for moral observance in society.

One of the strengths of the Maori tribal religion is the conservation of the environment.   The fact that that Maori person claimed the mana (the authority of the environment, they are bound to taking full responsibility for protecting the environment.   This embedded in the people the need to be environmentally conscious in the activities that they engaged in (Lockhart et al., 2019). According to the spiritual beliefs, the Maori people are the members of the environment, as opposed to being the master over the enrolment.  Therefore, they are required to take care of the environment, the best way possible.  The fact that the Maori people valued the land which the most treasured possession and which allowed for self-determination., and who was the custodian of the land, they bound to taking of it. Another spiritual principle that they used that they were supposed to be interconnected with all the natural phenomena, which was vital for the free interaction between Maori and spiritual forces (Lockhart et al., 2019).  Another weakness of this traditional form of worship of the Maori is the lack of a properly organized system of worship that was practiced by all people (Best, 1941).  Different tribes had different ways of conducting their worship.  This resulted in the confusion between the classification of gods that were worshiped by the tribe.   Some of the ceremonies that were conducted were dangerous to the people such as fire walking, such rites were terrible and could to the performers of such rights sustain serious injuries.

One of the challenges that are Maori religion today is lack of consultation due to the rapid modernization taking place in New Zealand. Even though there is a requirement that they should be consulted when there are projects that are likely to affect their way of life and their places of worship, therein follow up to ensure that it is done (Roorda and Peace, 2009).  When they are consulted, and a place is set, no nobody ensures that the plan is followed to the later.  Another major challenge that affects the practice of the religion is the urban where most of them today live in urban used places. Therefore, the attachment they had with the land and the environment is no more.  Without the environment, the affection between them and the spiritual forces has been significantly reduced.  Furthermore, the onset of Christianity has affected the traditional tribal religion considerably as most of the Maori people embraced it and disposed of the traditional customs.  In fact, churches such as the Ratana has been involved in castigating the conventional beliefs of the Maori people and urging them to subscribe to the western religion (Roorda & Peace, 2009). The introduction of another language in society also played a significant role in replacing the traditional culture.  English was adopted as the means of communication and in offices, and this has helped in reading the culture of the Maori.  The declining population of the Maori has also weakened the traditional beliefs.  The few that remained went to cities to study, which made sure that nobody has left parties the culture.

Conclusion

Maori believed in a supreme being Io.  This god was not created by anybody and had no parents. They also believed in departmental and family gods who were reasonable for certain aspects of daily life. They have people who had been designated to perform exclusive rights to the gods and were the priest for the people. They had shrines that had been constructed where people would offer sacrifices to gods.  They believed that the presence of the gods could be gained either inheritance or through the wealth of the people. A person had to moral so that they preserve the presence of God, mana in their lives. Mana and tapu were the sources of making ethical decisions for the members of the community, even though mana was highly valued. The main comparison with the neighbors includes believing in life after death and believing that there is a supreme being who was not created.  The main strength of the firm religion advocacy for environmental conservation while the main weakness was conducting some rites that were dangerous to the people. One of the main challenges of religion today is rapid modernization, which is reducing their traditional sacred places. Education and the advancement of Christianity have also affected religions significantly.  Today, most people are leaving the conventional religion and subscribing to Christianity.

References

Best, E. (1941). The Maori (Vol. 5). Polynesian Society. retrieved from http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bes01Maor-t1-body-d6.html

Lockhart, C., Houkamau, C. A., Sibley, C. G., & Osborne, D. (2019). To Be at One with the Land: Māori Spirituality Predicts Greater Environmental Regard. Religions, 10(7), 427.

Roorda, M., & Peace, R. (2009). Challenges to implementing good practice guidelines for evaluation with māori: A pākehā perspective. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 34, 73-89. Retrieved from  https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/spj34/34-challenges-to-good-practice.html

Sachdev, P. S. (1989). Mana, tapu, noa: Maori cultural constructs with medical and psycho-social relevance. Psychological medicine, 19(4), 959-969.retrived from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/20561106_Mana_Tapu_Noa_Maori_cultural_constructs_with_medical_and_psycho-social_relevance