Research behind customs and gestures that show care towards people and deities explored in my work.
Removing tapu/ Whakanoa
Tapu is a term that is often used to convey the meaning ‘sacred’. It is a strong force in Maori life. Tapu can be observed in a person, object or place. It is strictly forbidden that you touch or, in some cases, approach something that is tapu. Noa is everything ordinary and lifts tapu. Allowing things to become normal.
A cemetery or urupā is tapu, and it is expected leaving you must wash your hands to make yourself noa again. Water is the most powerful agent for lifting tapu. Fresh or bottled, it is important that the water is running to reduce the tapu carried and return to the state of noa.
Blessing food/ Karakia Kai
Blessing food is a religious practice, predominately a Christian practice and not a pre-colonial Māori practice. However, Māori bless their food using a karakia. Traditionally, karakia is used to acknowledge and thank the gods of the particular food prepared. For example, you would karakia to Rongo-mā-Tāne the god of cultivated foods and Tāne Mahuta the god of all birds if you had a meal of kūmara and bird meat. Rules about not eating specific foods together were placed as it would cause the gods to clash.
Removing shoes
The most important reasoning for a no-shoe policy is to protect the household from bacteria and germs. Pathogens that cause disease that can attach to shoes while walking outside, or public restrooms. Slipping in the tread and cracks, where bacteria can travel on spread indoors. In Aotearoa, New Zealand, this gesture of care has stemmed from the Maori tradition of removing shoes before entering the wharenui. The purpose, to prevent the dust of Tūmatauenga, the god of war, from entering the domain of the god of peace, Rongo.
Burying placenta
This custom is popularly practised by Māori and other cultures. Traditionally the placenta or whenua is buried on the land connected to one or both of the child’s parents, or a place of ancestral connection. Returning the placenta to the earth mother, Papatuanuku, this practice connects the child to the land of their birth, symbolizing fertility and life. This tradition comes from the idea that we were first made from the body of Papatuanuku. Whenua is the placenta is symbolised as the tree of life that supports a baby, and the land.
“From earth people come and to earth they return.” (Home Birth Aotearoa, Whenua To Whenua, 2014).
Eye contact
During a conversation, eye contact is a powerful gesture that can make an individual feel appreciated and understood. It is a sign that you are a good listener, focused and paying attention to what is being said. By simply sharing eye contact builds trust and respect. Caring for the speaker as their words are validated by the attentiveness of the eye contact. Communicating to the talker that they and what they are saying is important.
Bibliography
Evenesis. “Why Eye Contact Is Important During Conversation?”. October 17, 2021, https://www.evenesis.com/blog/why-eye-contact-is-important-during-conversation/.
Harbringer, AJ. “7 Things Everyone Should Know About The Power Of Eye Contact”. May 15, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-power-of-eye-contact-2015-5?r=AU&IR=T.
Healthline. “Taking Your Shoes Off Inside: Benefits, Risks, And Tips”. October 13, 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/taking-off-your-shoes#:~:text=It’s%20customary%20in%20many%20cultures,keep%20invisible%20germs%20away%2C%20too.
Home Birth Aotearoa. “Whenua To Whenua”. September, 2014. https://homebirth.org.nz/magazine/article/whenua-to whenua/#:~:text=When%20a%20baby%20is%20born,to%20the%20place%20of%20birth.
Te Ara. “Page 3: Tangi, birth and modern-day custom”. October 16, 2021, https://teara.govt.nz/en/maori-manners-and-social-behaviour-nga-mahi-tika/page-3.
Te Ara. “Page 4: Whenua – The Placenta”. October 16, 2021, https://teara.govt.nz/en/papatuanuku-the-land/page-4.