What did Māori use rivers for?

What did Māori use rivers for?

Early Māori relied on rivers. Rivers were used as landing sites, settlements and a source of fresh water. Māori explored as far as possible upriver on many waterways.

How did the Māori use water?

waitapu – sacred water, waters used for ceremonial purposes. waimāori – pure water, water rich in mauri, used for cleansing and for ceremonial purposes.

Why are rivers important in NZ?

Rivers are a source of mahinga kai (food) and their mauri (life force) is fundamental to Māori culture. Abstractive uses include community and stock water supply, and irrigation. Half of New Zealand’s 425,000 kilometres of rivers and streams are small headwater streams6.

Why is the sea important for Māori?

The sea dominated traditional Polynesian and Māori life for many practical reasons. It was an essential source of food and other resources. A number of Polynesian islands become covered by the sea once a year, causing those who lived there to fear and revere its waters.

Where did the Māori get their water from?

The Maori claim a special relationship with New Zealand’s fresh water, based on their historical use of its rivers for drinking water, spiritual beliefs, fishing and shellfish harvest, transport and trade, among other things.

What does the land mean to Māori?

In the Māori world view, land gives birth to all things, including humankind, and provides the physical and spiritual basis for life. Papatūānuku, the land, is a powerful mother earth figure who gives many blessings to her children.

Why are our rivers important?

Water provides us with food to eat Their traditional freshwater food sources include koura (crayfish) and tuna (eels). It’s important that our rivers and lakes are healthy, so the plants and animals we eat can grow abundantly and are safe for us to eat.

Why is river water quality important?

River water quality is important because rivers are a major source of water used for drinking and by industry. Rivers also support a wide variety of wildlife and in some areas of the world are used extensively for recreation. River water quality is measured by indicators of chemical quality and biological quality.

What does water mean to Māori people?

the essence of all life
For Māori, water is the essence of all life, akin to the blood of Papatuanuuku (Earth mother) who supports all people, plants and wildlife. Māori assert their tribal identity in relation to rivers and particular waterways have a role in tribal creation stories.

What is Wai Māori?

wai māori. (noun) freshwater, mineral water.

What is the Maori name for Mother Earth?

Papatūānuku
Papatūānuku – mother earth In Māori tradition, Papatūānuku is the land. She is a mother earth figure who gives birth to all things, including people. Trees, birds and people are born from the land, which then nourishes them. Some traditions say that the land first emerged from under water.

What is a waterway NZ?

Waterways can include any inland body of water, such as streams, ponds, lakes, or rivers.

What is the significance of water to the Maori?

Next section. For Māori, water is the essence of all life, akin to the blood of Papatuanuuku (Earth mother) who supports all people, plants and wildlife. Māori assert their tribal identity in relation to rivers and particular waterways have a role in tribal creation stories. Rivers are valued as a source of mahinga kai,

What is the relationship between Māori and the environment?

Māori often consider their personal health and the health of the iwi to be linked to the health of their water bodies. Māori identity is linked to rivers. Māori are connected to water and to the whole natural world through whakapapa – a lineage that descends from Ranginui and Papatūānuku down to people and all parts of the environment.

How did the Māori get their food?

Māori often built settlements at the mouth of a river. Food could usually be obtained from the river itself or its estuary. Tuna (eels) and lamprey were harvested with nets or elaborate structures that straddled the flow, and to which nets were secured ( pā tuna and utu piharau).

Who are the river people of New Zealand?

They are known as the River People, and it is clear that the river is the source of their cultural identity. Led by our hosts from the Whanganui River Maori Trust Board, we took a boat trip down the River walked through the dense jungle alongside it, and felt the power of the land and its connection to the people.