Overview of Maori Beliefs and Culture

Though some of their war tactics have been savage, the Maori are known as a spiritual people who incorporate beliefs and ritual into everyday life. Although some of the beliefs and traditions have been diluted due to outside influence over the last 150 to 200 years, many are still revered and commonly practiced. For example, Maori believe that ancestors and supernatural beings are ever-present and able to help the tribe in times of need. Another of the group's foremost beliefs is that everything and everyone are connected and therefore a part of their whakapapa (genealogy). Whakapapa includes genealogies of spiritual and mythological significance, as well as information about the person's tribe and the land he or she lives on. In short, whakapapa tells the story of each person's spiritual and physical existence, traditionally beginning with the arrival of ancestors in canoes and progressing to present-day. The Maori strongly believe future mistakes can only be avoided by acknowledging the errors of the past. The act of reciting whakapapa helps accomplish this noble feat by continually reminding them of past mistakes.

The Maori also emphasize the importance of mana (honor, prestige, influence, authority, power). They believe in three forms of mana:

1) Mana achieved by birth. This mana comes from the person's whakapapa, and can be attributed to the rank or status of descendents.

2) Mana given by other people. This is more easily understood as recognition for good deeds. Humbleness is particularly appreciated among the Maori.

3) Mana of the group. Outsiders who visit or stay with a group influence this type of mana. Mana is increased if they pass along the word that the group treated them well during a stay.

The Maori also believe that a person's mana can be affected by korero (the spoken word). The Maori primarily existed as an oral culture before Europeans showed up. History traditionally has been recorded through a very sophisticated game of "telephone," in which one person relays information orally to another, and another, and so on. Although many people look down on this form of historical note taking, the Maori maintain that the position of historian is obtained only after many years of training, during which the person's memory is trained to remember verbatim the various history, genealogies and traditions.

Although the Maori did not establish a standard written language until after the Europeans arrived, they were able to communicate by "reading" wooden carvings. Some painted wooden carvings that tell stories of historical significance date back more than 500 years and are read easily with a little help. Stories vary depending on the type of head, surface patterns and other patterns carved into the wood [source: Maori.org]. Often, Maori carvings are compared to Native American totem poles.

Other than carving, the Maori have a history rich in art, including music, bone carving, painting, weaving and drawing. The group is dedicated to the preservation of these art forms as authentic Maori creations. Dance is also integral to the Maori. Maori dance is known as haka, and the idea is that the dancer moves in such a way that the entire body should convey exultation, defiance, contempt, challenge and welcome. A true haka depicts tremendous power and ferocity.

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David Kosoof of New Zealand's All Blacks leads his team in the Haka, a Maori war dance, after winning the Olympic qualifier game against Argentina in February 2008.

Other than the haka, what Maori traditions survive today? On the next page, you'll find out how you might have one on your body somewhere right now.