The Maori Religion And Rituals Of Various Cultures Religion Essay

The Maori Religion And Rituals Of Various Cultures Religion EssayThis try on discusses the Maori piety and variety of horticulture of the indigenous Maori community. It in any case discusses the death rites and the rituals of several(a) Maori cultures, for instance, the espousal, death and take rites and rituals among others.Starting with the rich Maori religion Russell (2006) points out, that the Maori people hope in the existence of spiritual macrocosms and a supreme supernatural being c whollyed lo. They believed that lo is only revealed to those who have reached a particular level of partition favorite(a) the most learned in the Maoris society. But all of them regardless of class or age believe in the existence of eight gods whose pargonnts ar called Rangi and papa. on that point is gods of the forests and the fore poses called Tane. There is the god of sea called tangaroa. There is the god of agriculture and peace cognize as rongo. They to a fault have god of go and god of the uncultivated food known as Tawhitimateo and Haumia respectively (Keith, 1980). The Maoris also have god for earthquakes that is called Ruaumoko .Their belief in the existence of darkness and poisonous makes them to believe in the existence of the god that caused the same known as Whiro (Russell, 2006). There is also a special god for struggle who is also responsible for the invention of the sn atomic number 18s and digging sticks.On the other hand, each Maori nation had a special god for war. The gods for war were useful when the tribes went for war. Apart from the war gods, each Maori family had family gods and spirits. The family spirits had their origin from the dead, abortions or miscarriages (Siers, 1976).In the Maori religion at that go in is association with the visible symbols that has a natural phenomenon. These symbols ar the rainbow, the comets, trees and even stones. sustentation creatures such as birds, fish and lizards also have a connotation in their religion. There is also carving of gods either from sticks or stones that are worshipped. The Maori have god families.Another eventful aspect of the Maori culture is on the death and funeral rituals. The dead automobile trunk that is known as tupapaku is conventionally preserve and kept in a special meeting place called marae. The bole has to stay for three consecutive days in this house and the body is never to be left alone even though the put is ordinarily left frank till the entombment day. The mourning close is occasioned by wailings from the women and speeches are made in Maori language (Keith, 1980). Orupa that is the cemetery is conterminous to the marae. harmonize to Siers (1976) those who view the body are required to wash their hands afterwards use water or bread that is usually at the exitIn Maori culture the burial and funeral rituals of important people are carried with pomp as they believe that these people will s windup overprotective spirits aft erwards. For example, the death and funeral ritual of a chief is characterized by abundant decoration of the body using feathers. The skulls of the enemies are placed at the feet, bit all the remains of the ancestors are put at the head. On the poles next to the body at that place is heads of the enemies.During the mourning period, relatives of the dead are not allowed to impinging food using their hands but they are fed by their relatives, friends or members of the tribe. They just have to open their lower jaws and food tossed into it. In showing their sorrow people cut their bodies using shells and the profound exhaust is symbolic for the immense loss incurred by the bereaved (Russell, 1996). gibe to Keith (1980), on the burial day the chief have to be buried with all things that are valuable in the Maori community. He also points out that, the burial of the dead does not end with the first burial but there is the warrant burial known a secondary burial. In the second buria l, the remains of the dead are removed from their primary burial place. These mug up are and so cleaned and painted with red ochre. The remains are then taken from liquidation to village for a second mourning and afterwards buried this time round in a sacred place (Keith, 1980).Another important culture among the Maori is the welcoming culture that is characterized by a number of rituals. This culture was called marae by the Maori people (Siers, 1976). During this ceremony women per nervous strain oratories called karanga. According to Keith (1980), the karangas are done in Maori language and these oratories are both instructive as well as entertaining. Russell (1996) says that, after the karangas there are formal speeches from the host. These speeches are known as whaikorero. A song called waiata is sung by various groups immediately after the speeches.Gift giving is another important occasion during the welcoming culture. The gifts also known as koha are stipulation out fol lowed by karanga. Russell (2006) points out another symbolic ritual in the welcoming culture as the pressing of the noses, also known as hongi which is a sign of appreciation. To arrange the end of the ceremony, a meal called hakari is usually shared (Siers, 1976)According to Keith (1980) the third culture with rituals in the Maori community is the marriage and wedding ceremony. In choosing partners members of the opposite sex can either ask their partners or the partners chosen for them by the elders. But the female can mould down the advances of the opposite sex by putting a mark on their forehead called atahu. Courtship generally varied in the Maori culture in that, some tribes simply proposed by capturing the potential bride. This tactics sometimes turn violent.In Maori marriage, adultery was heavily punishable. The punishment was in form of plundering the homes of the couple. Divorce was not ruled out. It was ritually carried out using water (Siers, 1976).The wedding usually takes place in the marae and during this ceremony a relative of the groom challenges the father of the bride to come forward for a fight. The father of the bride approaches the relative of the groom as if he is ready for a fight but instead stretches his hand and greets the challenger (Keith, 1980).Another culture of the Maori is the birth culture and the rituals that accompany it. Russell (1996) says that, the Maori women control the birth process but it is the midwives known as the tohunga who have control on the conception, abortion, birth and parenting. The women has to follow fixed guidelines from the tohunga and during the delivery time, women deliver either in squatting or rest positions with minimal support offered on request. The Maori women either gave birth in an open place away from the main dwelling or in a temporary structure made for the same and were burnt at the end of it. This temporary structure was called whare kohanga or simply the cuddle place (Keith, 1980 ). The nest place was meant for high ranking women on their first deliveries. The placenta is usually buried.According to Siers there is an important ritual rite called tihe that is usually performed during child birth. It is a form of baptism that resembles the modern mode of baptism in Christianity. In most cases, there is chanting and singing to welcome the newborn baby. Gifts are also given up out by the family members.Giving the Maori culture without giving the type of food, their scotch activities, dress and the traditional Maori culture will not make the give-and-take on the Maori culture, religion and rituals complete, therefore these aspects will be mentioned on the front paragraphs.Keith (1980) points out that, the economic activities of the Maori culture vary with the location. He says that they are courseers, gatherers, and farmers. They melt down birds such as pigeons, ducks, and rat among others. Those that live along the coastal lines hunt grubs, earthworms, fi sh, shellfish, and sometimes whales. The Maoris use dogs for hunting purposes and the Maori are said to be cannibals gum olibanum thy also survived with eating each other (Keith, 1980).Russell (1996) says that on art, the Maori has paintings and weavings for the most part done by women. The indigenous Maori is characterized by group performance called kappa haka. There is also oratory that is authentic and has both entertaining and educative influence. The clothing is accompanied with tattooing of faces where women tattooed their lips and chins a method called ta ngutu. The tattooing was done either through piercing or pigmentation of various body parts (Keith, 1980)Siers (1976) says that in the traditional Maori culture, society is segregated into small villages called kainga. These villages contain members of one of more members of a tribe usually called hapu. The kainga varies in sizes depending on productivity and population niggardness of the regions. There are also village s that are fortified called pa. Each village has a store called pataka where war weapons, fishing gear and preserved foods are stored. The villages also have well decorated houses called whare whakairo which were for indoor meetings and entertainment of guestsIn conclusion the rich indigenous culture of the Maori has been greatly influenced by modernness leading to some aspects being eroded. Has a result the Maori culture and religion has changed in the recent past (Keith, 1980).