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(from Nga Reo O Te Whenua: Voices of the Land)
The rich oral traditions of Maori culture provide clues not only to the
history of settlement, but also to the deep attachment which Maori people
feel for their land. The land is seen as the body of the earth mother,
Papatuanuku, and the resting place of ancestors, who although no longer
present in body are still present in spirit. Thus, attachment to a
particular area of land with all its familiar associations is a vital part
of the spiritual makeup of the present generation - te hunga ora - and
generations gone by - te hunga mate. The word "whenua" means both "land" and
"placenta". When a child is born, some families still bury the afterbirth in
their family land.
Maori tradition and culture, as expressed in place names, emphasise the
spiritual value of the land, as well as its economic, recreational, or
residential value. This relationship is illustrated [on the
opposite page],
and forms the basis for the class study outlined [in the following pages].
Material from Nga Reo O Te Whenua is reproduced by permission of the
publishers Learning Media Limited on behalf of the Ministry of Education,
PO Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand, ‹ Crown, 1992.
This material has been produced by UNITEC Institute of Technology
under contract to the Ministry of Education.
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