Tikanga
Hei aha te korero!
Never mind the talk. Do the work. That will do the talking for you!
In many cultures, a few well-chosen words can carry a multitude of meaning. Singularly, translating one word by one other can destroy the true essence and rob the reader of understanding. For Maori, Tikanga embodies history and future, right and wrong, caution and expediency, courtesy and reprimand, survival.
“In its most basic form, Tikanga is the set of guidelines to follow. It is the blueprint of how we operate to ensure the survival of Mokopuna, the generations to come,” says kaumatua and Maori elder, Ben Hona. “Tikanga is the simplicity of how our people lived, the laws handed down to us through all time. Really, it is our very integrity.”
Tikanga was not the decree of one person, one ruler. It was based on the experience and learning of many and always with the good of the people at heart. In the Whakarewarewa Valley, for example, Tikanga dictates that hot pools used for cooking never be used for bathing. It is simply a case of hygiene, a precaution against the spread of disease.
“The first rule of thumb of Tikanga is logic and common sense,” says Ben. Tikanga is more than custom. Customs can change. Tikanga is binding and still followed by Maori tribes today. But like a country that has overarching laws adhered to differently by different states, tribes across New Zealand also apply different aspects of Tikanga.
What may work for one may not be necessary for another. Those living by the sea, for example, will have different approaches to food gathering than those living in the mountains. This is not a division. Rather, Tikanga celebrates the unique qualities of tribes, promoting and preserving the rich diversity of an entire culture. It is strict yet imbedded in the very fundamentals of courtesy, reminding all to take care for another and the environment.
“Tikanga is that immovable peg in the ground. It is the foundation that cuts through everything we get caught up in,” says head carver, James Rickard. “The world is changing fast but our Tikanga will always guide us. It is easy to teach and learn here because the guidelines have been in place for hundreds of years. They don’t change.”
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