Sometimes we can find ourselves in a bit of a tikanga pickle - unsure what to do and why. Don’t worry, Re:’s reo Māori series Ohinga has got you covered.
Tikanga advisor Te Aorere Pewhairangi (Ngāti Porou) outlines some of the basics in our Tikanga 101 explainer.
Wearing shoes inside
“Māori don’t wear shoes inside because Tūmatauenga is the God of War, which is outside. Rongo-mā-Tāne is the God of Peace, which is inside the house. They don’t mix.”
Bums on tables
“Māori don’t sit on the table because the body is tapu (sacred) and kai is noa - free from the restrictions of tapu. They don’t mix. That’s the explanation in depth but basically, you don’t put your arse where you eat - it’s just paru.”
Hats on tables
“Māori don’t wear hats inside (because), like I said, tapu and noa don’t mix. So everything that touches your body, more importantly your head, is sacred. It doesn’t mix with food. (And also,) hair isn’t the best with cake.”
Ohinga is created by Mahi Tahi Media, with funding from Te Māngai Pāho and the NZ on Air Public Interest Journalism Fund.
Stay tuned for a new episode every week.
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I ētahi wā, ka kitea e tātau he horopaki e raru ai tātau ā-tikanga nei - kāore tātau i te mōhio me aha, he aha hoki me pērā ai tātau. Kei māharahara, mā Ohinga, te whakaaturanga reo Māori a Re: koutou e āwhina.
Ka whakamāramahia e Te Aorere Pewhairangi ētahi meka i tā tātau hōtaka whakamārama tikanga.
Kuhu ana ki te whare me ngā hū
“Kāore te Māori e mau hū ki rō whare nā te mea ko Tūmatauenga te atua o te pakanga, kei waho. Ko Rongomātāne te atua o te rongomau, kei rō whare. Kāore rāua e hanumi.”
Nono i te tēpu
Kāore te Māori e noho ki te tēpu nā te mea he tapu te tinana, ā, he noa ngā kai. Kāore ērā mea e rua e hanumi. Arā te hōhonu o ngā whakamārama, heoi anō ko te mea matua, kaua tō nono e noho ki te wāhi mō ō kai - he whakapairuaki tēnā.”
Pōtae i te tēpu
“Kāore te Māori e mau pōtae ki rō whare, ā, hei tāku i mua rā, kāore e noho tahi te tapu me te noa. Nō reira, ngā mea katoa ka pā ki tō tinana, ka mātua rā ko tō māhunga, he tapu. Kāore e hanumi ki te kai. Me te aha, ehara te makawe i te kīnaki pai mō te keke.”
He mea hanga a Ohinga nā Mahi Tahi, he mea tautoko nā Te Mānga Pāho, nā te Puna Pūtea Public Interest Journalism a Irirangi Te Motu anō hoki.
Hoki mai anō kia kite ai i tētahi hōtaka hou.
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