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36-461: Political leadership or governance in Māori society has traditionally come from two overlapping groups of people – the ariki and the rangatira . The ariki are the "persons of the highest rank and seniority". As the "high-ranking first-born children of first-born children", ariki inherit their positions from their forebears. In particular, their "supreme rank [comes] from the conjunction of

72-499: A control of tapu (sacred matters) was a powerful weapon for the ariki . For supernatural reasons, certain activities were forbidden and since the ariki had control over what was or was not forbidden, this gave their considerable power. It was the people's strong belief in an ariki's mana and control over all things tapu that allowed them to take control of their people without the need for physical enforcement. The ariki , mataiapo and rangatira titles are passed down through

108-404: A group of ariki challenged the legitimacy of the government. A chief's control over their people was related to their mana (power), which came not only from their birth but also from their achievements and status, and could be gained or lost. An ariki who lost popularity with their people could also be seen as having a decline in mana , which could have led to their loss of control. Having

144-399: A non-Western view of reality, complicating translation. This is confirmed by the definition of mana provided by Māori Marsden who states that mana is: Spiritual power and authority as opposed to the purely psychic and natural force — ihi. According to Margaret Mutu , mana in its traditional sense means: Power, authority, ownership, status, influence, dignity, respect derived from

180-610: A number of senior descent lines from founding ancestors, and ultimately from the gods". Their mana combines hereditary, personal and theocratic elements. In Māori culture ariki were men or women. A modern example of a woman in this leadership role is Te Atairangikaahu ( r.  1966–2006 ) the paramount head or Māori Queen of the Waikato federation of tribes . Ariki do not operate in simple hierarchical organisations ; despite what "government officers were inclined to believe", ariki have never been "the apex of

216-760: A return to rangatiratanga and the uplifting of Māori by the rangatiratanga system has been widely advocated for since the Māori renaissance began c.  1970 . Moana Jackson , Ranginui Walker and Tipene O'Regan figure among the most notable of these advocates. The concept of a rangatira is central to rangatiratanga —a Māori system of governance , self-determination and sovereignty . The word rangatira means "chief (male or female), wellborn, noble" and derives from Proto-Central Eastern Polynesian * langatila ("chief of secondary status"). Cognate words are found in Moriori , Tahitian (i.e.

252-429: A second translation where "ranga" is an abbreviation of rāranga (or weaving) and "tira" signifies a group. A third interpretation fits equally well with this translation, interlinking concepts related to the identity of the ‘tira’. In the first instance, the conditional hospitality presented in the form of weaving created for the ‘tira’ of guests. In the second instance, the collective intentionality "enacted in

288-418: A single English definition. Both mana and tapu take on a whole range of related meanings depending on their association and the context in which they are being used. A tribe with mana whenua must have demonstrated their authority over a territory. In contemporary New Zealand English , the word "mana" refers to a person or organisation of people of great personal prestige and character. The increased use of

324-399: A structured hierarchy of institutionalised tribal authority". Many positions overlap, with ariki holding multiple roles, including "head of an iwi , the rangatira of a hapū and the kaumātua of a whānau ". Similarly, in times past, "a tohunga may have also been the head of a whanau but quite often was also a rangatira and an ariki". The Māori King Movement

360-553: A tribe's land ( Māori : rohe ) and that of other tribes. Changes to land-ownership laws in the 19th century, particularly the individualisation of land title , undermined the power of rangatira, as did the widespread loss of land under the Euro-settler-oriented government of the Colony of New Zealand from 1841 onwards. The concepts of rangatira and rangatiratanga (chieftainship), however, remain strong, and

396-422: A universal concept, found in all human cultures and expressing fundamental human awareness of a sacred life energy. In his 1904 essay, "Outline of a General Theory of Magic", Marcel Mauss drew on the writings of Codrington and others to paint a picture of mana as "power par excellence , the genuine effectiveness of things which corroborates their practical actions without annihilating them". Mauss pointed out

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432-522: Is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have mana . They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a source of power. It is an intentional force. Mana has been discussed mostly in relation to cultures of Polynesia , but also of Melanesia , notably the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu . In the 19th century, scholars compared mana to similar concepts such as

468-513: Is a foundation of Polynesian theology , a spiritual quality with a supernatural origin and a sacred, impersonal force. To have mana implies influence, authority , and efficacy : the ability to perform in a given situation. The quality of mana is not limited to individuals; peoples, governments, places, and inanimate objects may also possess mana , and its possessors are accorded respect. Mana protects its protector and they depend on each other for growth, both positive and negative. It depends on

504-715: Is both external and internal. Sites on the Hawaiian Islands and in French Polynesia are believed to possess mana—for example, the top rim of the Haleakalā volcano on the island of Maui and the Taputapuatea marae on the island of Raʻiātea in the Society Islands . Ancient Hawaiians also believed that the island of Molokaʻi possessed mana compared with its neighboring islands. Before

540-603: Is headed by the Māori King or Queen, who bears the title Te Arikinui , literally "The Great (leading) Ariki". Each island in the Cook Islands was ruled by a number of ariki (high chiefs). Rarotonga had about five or six, and most of the other islands had about three. Each ariki ruled an ivi or ngati (tribe). Beneath each ariki in the social hierarchy were a number of mataiapo and rangatira (minor chiefs) of noble rank. Ariki are either men or women. In 2009

576-505: Is now free or flown." In Māori culture , there are two essential aspects of a person's mana : mana tangata , authority derived from whakapapa ( genealogy ) and mana huaanga , defined as "authority derived from having a wealth of resources to gift to others to bind them into reciprocal obligations ". Hemopereki Simon , from Ngāti Tūwharetoa , asserts that there are many forms of mana in Maori beliefs. The indigenous word reflects

612-471: Is of the greatest advantage to possess or control". Describing pre-animism, Robert Ranulph Marett cited the Melanesian mana (primarily with Codrington's work): "When the science of Comparative Religion employs a native expression such as mana, it is obliged to disregard to some extent its original or local meaning. Science, then, may adopt mana as a general category ... ". In Melanesia, "animae" are

648-411: Is perceptible, appearing as a "Power of awfulness" (in the sense of awe or wonder). Objects possessing it impress an observer with "respect, veneration, propitiation, service" emanating from the mana's power. Marett lists several objects habitually possessing mana: "startling manifestations of nature", "curious stones", animals, "human remains", blood, thunderstorms, eclipses, eruptions, glaciers, and

684-568: The orenda of the Iroquois Indians and theorized that mana was a universal phenomenon that explained the origin of religions . The reconstructed Proto-Oceanic word *mana is thought to have referred to "powerful forces of nature such as thunder and storm winds" rather than supernatural power. As the Oceanic-speaking peoples spread eastward , the word started to refer instead to unseen supernatural powers. Mana

720-411: The ariki , giving them dignity but very limited power. Rangatira In Māori culture , rangatira ( Māori pronunciation: [ɾaŋatiɾa] ) are tribal chiefs , the leaders (often hereditary ) of a hapū (subtribe or clan). Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority ( mana ) on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between

756-595: The atua . In terms of leadership, Ngāti Kahungunu legal scholar Carwyn Jones comments: "Mana is the central concept that underlies Māori leadership and accountability." He also considers mana as a fundamental aspect of the constitutional traditions of Māori society . According to the New Zealand Ministry of Justice : Mana and tapu are concepts which have both been attributed single-worded definitions by contemporary writers. As concepts, especially Maori concepts they can not easily be translated into

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792-408: The raʻatira in the name Tāvini Huiraʻatira ), Cook Islands Māori , Tuamotuan , Marquesan and Hawaiian . Three interpretations of rangatira consider it as a compound of the Māori words "ranga" and "tira". In the first case, "ranga" is devised as a sandbar and the "tira" a shark fin. The allegoric sandbar helps reduce erosion of the dune (or people). The fin reflects both the appearance of

828-523: The early studies". "With regard to these theories founded upon the primordial and universal character of mana , we must say without delay that they have been invalidated by later research". Holbraad argued in a paper included in the volume "Thinking Through Things: Theorising Artefacts Ethnographically" that the concept of mana highlights a significant theoretical assumption in anthropology : that matter and meaning are separate. A hotly debated issue, Holbraad suggests that mana provides motive to re-evaluate

864-479: The family to the present day. Some of the ancient ceremonies and traditions are still being practiced in the Cook Islands. The House of Ariki ( 'Are Ariki ) is a parliamentary body in the Cook Islands. It was established in 1967 shortly after self-government and is composed of the Cook Islands high chiefs. Scholars Ron Crocombe and Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen have argued that it was created to marginalize

900-424: The gods Kū and Lono formed, through whom are the two paths to mana ( ʻimihaku , or the search for mana). Kū, the god of war and politics, offers mana through violence; this was how Kamehameha gained his mana. Lono, the god of peace and fertility, offers mana through sexuality. Prayers were believed to have mana, which was sent to the akua at the end when the priest usually said "amama ua noa," meaning "the prayer

936-483: The idea of the totemic principle or mana. In 1936, Ian Hogbin criticised the universality of Marett's pre-animism: "Mana is by no means universal and, consequently, to adopt it as a basis on which to build up a general theory of primitive religion is not only erroneous but indeed fallacious". However, Marett intended the concept as an abstraction . Spells, for example, may be found "from Central Australia to Scotland." Early 20th-century scholars also saw mana as

972-545: The mana figures without animae, "no island of pure 'pre-animism' is to be found." Like Tylor, he theorizes a thread of commonality between animism and pre-animism identified with the supernatural —the "mysterious", as opposed to the reasonable. In 1912, French sociologist Émile Durkheim examined totemism , the religion of the Aboriginal Australians , from a sociological and theological point of view, describing collective effervescence as originating in

1008-480: The notion of mana", wrote Mauss's biographer Marcel Fournier , "but Hubert and Mauss were criticized for giving it a universal dimension". Criticism of mana as an archetype of life energy increased. According to Mircea Eliade , the idea of mana is not universal; in places where it is believed, not everyone has it, and "even among the varying formulae ( mana , wakan , orenda , etc.) there are, if not glaring differences, certainly nuances not sufficiently observed in

1044-557: The person where he takes his mana . In Polynesia, mana was traditionally seen as a " transcendent power that blesses " that can "express itself directly" through various ways, but most often shows itself through the speech , movement, or traditional ritual of a " prophet , priest , or king ." In Hawaiian and Tahitian culture, mana is a spiritual energy and healing power which can exist in places, objects, and persons. Hawaiians believe that mana may be gained or lost by actions, and Hawaiians and Tahitians believe that mana

1080-473: The sandbar, and, more importantly, "its physical and intentional dominance as guardian". Rangatira reinforce communities, cease to exist without them ("for what is a sandbar without sand?"), and have a protective capacity. Ethnographer John White (1826-1891) gave a different viewpoint in one of his lectures on Māori customs. He said Māori had traditionally formed two kahui who came together to discuss history or whakapapa . This interpretation fits well with

1116-518: The similarity of mana to the Iroquois orenda and the Algonquian manitou , convinced of the "universality of the institution"; "a concept, encompassing the idea of magical power, was once found everywhere". Mauss and his collaborator, Henri Hubert , were criticised for this position when their 1904 Outline of a General Theory of Magic was published. "No one questioned the existence of

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1152-447: The souls of living men, the ghosts of deceased men, and spirits "of ghost-like appearance" or imitating living people. Spirits can inhabit other objects, such as animals or stones. The most significant property of mana is that it is distinct from, and exists independently of, its source. Animae act only through mana. It is impersonal, undistinguished, and (like energy) transmissible between objects, which can have more or less of it. Mana

1188-425: The sound of a bullroarer . If mana is a distinct power, it may be treated distinctly. Marett distinguishes spells , which treat mana quasi-objectively, and prayers , which address the animae. An anima may have departed, leaving mana in the form of a spell which can be addressed by magic . Although Marett postulates an earlier pre-animistic phase , a "rudimentary religion" or " magico-religious " phase in which

1224-766: The term mana in New Zealand society is the result of the politicisation of Māori issues stemming from the Māori Renaissance . Missionary Robert Henry Codrington traveled widely in Melanesia , publishing several studies of its language and culture. His 1891 book The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-Lore contains the first detailed description of mana in English. Codrington defines it as "a force altogether distinct from physical power, which acts in all kinds of ways for good and evil, and which it

1260-496: The unification of the Hawaiian Kingdom by King Kamehameha I , battles were fought for possession of the island and its south shore fish ponds , which existed until the late 19th century. A person may gain mana by pono "right actions". In ancient Hawaii, there were two paths to mana : sexual means or violence. In at least this tradition, nature is seen as dualistic, and everything has a counterpart. A balance between

1296-557: The weaving" of the ‘tira’ of hosts. Together, these concepts highlight the value attached to the "personal relationship" between the leader and their group. This type of relationship is similar to the mahara atawhai (endearment or "benevolent concern") offered in the Treaty of Waitangi ’s preamble by Queen Victoria , reflecting the pre-nineteenth century "personal bond between the ruler and subject". Mana (Oceanian mythology) In Melanesian and Polynesian cultures, mana

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