Māori religion

Overview of Māori religion

Māori religion is the traditional spiritual system of the Māori people of Aotearoa New Zealand, carried by Polynesian voyagers who settled the islands around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It describes a world born from the separation of Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, by their children, the atua. These gods include Tāne, lord of forests and birds, Tangaroa of the sea, Tāwhirimātea of the winds and Rongo of cultivated food.

Central concepts include mana, spiritual authority and prestige; tapu, sacredness or restriction; and noa, the ordinary or free from restriction. Mauri is the life force present in all things, and whakapapa, genealogy, links people to ancestors, gods and the natural world. Tohunga, expert priests, once guided rituals of planting, fishing, war and healing. Karakia, chants and prayers, are still used to open gatherings, bless new buildings and ensure safe journeys.

After the arrival of Europeans, many Māori adopted Christianity, and new religious movements such as Rātana and Ringatū blended Christian and Māori ideas. Today traditional values remain vital in Māori life and are increasingly recognized in national culture. The marae, a communal meeting ground with a carved meeting house representing an ancestor, is a center of spiritual and social life. Visitors invited onto a marae experience a pōwhiri, a formal welcome with speeches, song and the hongi.

Core beliefs

• The world arose from Ranginui, the sky, and Papatūānuku, the earth.
• Atua, the gods, govern forests, oceans, winds and other domains.
• Mana, spiritual power, resides in people, places and objects.
• Tapu marks sacred or restricted things that must be respected.
• Whakapapa links all people and things in a web of genealogy.
• The spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga to depart for Hawaiki.

Practices and worship

• Reciting karakia, prayers and incantations.
• Gathering on the marae for ceremonies and community life.
• The pōwhiri welcome ceremony with the hongi greeting.
• Tangihanga, extended funeral rites held on the marae.
• Carving, weaving and tattoo called tā moko as sacred arts.
• Caring for land and water as kaitiaki, guardians.

Pilgrimage in Māori religion

Cape Reinga, called Te Rerenga Wairua, at the northern tip of New Zealand, is where Māori believe the spirits of the dead depart for the ancestral homeland of Hawaiki. Tongariro National Park, gifted by Ngāti Tūwharetoa, holds sacred volcanic peaks and is a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rotorua offers geothermal landscapes and living Māori villages such as Whakarewarewa. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland feature a carved meeting house and a great waka, or ceremonial canoe.

Major festivals

Etiquette for visitors

• Wait to be formally welcomed before entering a marae.
• Remove shoes before entering a wharenui, the meeting house.
• Do not sit on tables or pillows, as the head is tapu.
• Do not eat or drink inside the meeting house.
• Ask before photographing carvings or people.
• Follow local guidance about sacred places such as mountains, lakes and burial grounds.

Map of Māori religion sacred sites

Frequently asked questions