The Marae is the bastion of Maori culture.
In front of the wharenui is the marae atea - a very tapu piece of land. Whereas inside the wharenui itself, it isn't tapu.
Tangata whenua - the locals. The tangata whenua will challenge the newcomers to the Marae - to check if they're peaceful etc.
Speeches take palce on the marae atea. This area is the domain of Tuumatauenga - the god of war. It can stretch on for miles.
A guardian would stand at the edge of the marae atea. He would be one of the fastest and best warriors. This warrior would challenge the visitors, determine their intentiond & run back to the marae to convey them. If their intentions were hostile, and they killed the guardian before he could get back, it was a very bad omen.
Only men would talk of the marae atea, because it represented the state of warfare - in which it is too dangerous for women to be involved.
Moteatea - a kind of chant; and and they same as a "myth"; the vehicle in which knowledge was contained.
Te Ao Tawhite - the ancient Maori world.
Te Ao Hurihuri - the changing world.
Mana - spiritual authority bestowed by atua.
Ihi - magnetism, the charismatic force.
Tupuna = tipuna (ancestor).
There are different ways in which Te Reo can be pronounced. "Wh" can become a "h"; "Ng" can become a "k".
Tuakana/teina - same sex older/younger siblings.
Ariki line - the first born of the first born - a lot of authority over the teina.
Even if A is younger than B, if A is of a more tuakana line, they are more superior.
Whakapapa isn't just family - it's a rock, a feeling, a situation and a state of being.
Whakapapa as a tool of analysis - where the parents are the causal factors etc.
There are over 72 Maori gods/deities.
* Tane Mahuta - the god of trees, forests, birds
* Tangaroa - god of the sea
* Tawhiri matea - god of the wind, elements, the weather
* Ruaumoko - the god of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes (the unborn child of Papatuanuku)
* Tumatauenga - the god of war
* Rongomatutane - the god of peace and cultivated crops such as kuumura
* Haumieti ketike - the god of berries, aruhe, fern root.
