Taniwha

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Ureia, taniwha as companion and protector (sea monster)

The Taniwha are usually dragons or snakes- like mythical creatures in the Māori culture, who are said to have supernatural powers. According to myths , they hide in caves, rivers, lakes or in the ocean, kill people and eat them or kidnap the women of the Māori . Other tribes believed they had a kind of guardian angel who could be made positive with symbols or rites and in connection with the invocation of a karakia , an incantation .

Shape and appearance

The shape and appearance of the Taniwha can vary greatly depending on the Iwi (tribe). Borrowings from the animal kingdom can also be quite different. While some tribes saw oversized reptiles in the Taniwha with the Ngārara , there were others who saw sharks , whales , dolphins or other creatures in them. The Taniwha are supposed to change their appearance and thus also take on female and male form.

Behavior and characteristics

It is said that the Taniwha came to New Zealand from Hawaiki (the country of origin of the Māori ) connected with a tribe . The role of the Taniwha was after the Māori -Anschauung, a Tapu to force (something sacred). If something was defined as tapu , it was sacred and therefore sacrosanct. Taniwha punished tapu violations and were therefore also dangerous for other tribes, since Taniwha could also kidnap or eat people. The Māori also believed that one should show respect to the Taniwha by offering them kūmara (sweet potatoes) as an example . Mild in this way, Taniwha would warn their iwi (tribe) if enemies were nearby.

Famous Taniwha in the Māorifolklore

Tuhirangi

Kupe , who wasone of the discoverers of New Zealand in Māori mythology , had a protective taniwha named Tuhirangi . Legend has it that Tuhirangi the ship Kupe during the voyage from Hawaiki accompanied to New Zealand and protected and after the trip permanently in the dangerous waters of the French Pass , a passage between the D'Urville Island and the northern coast of the South Island have settled . The strait is considered to be one of the stormiest seas in the world. That is why Tuhirangi protectsthe ships that pass here.

In 1888 a white dolphin was known as Pelorus Jack for its extraordinary behavior in the strait. For more than 20 years, he regularly accompanied passing ships through the French Pass and was therefore so popular that the New Zealand government placed him under species protection . Although called Pelorus Jack by the Pākehā (whites) , Māori saw him as Tuhirangi .

Pānia and Moremore

Pānia of the Reef is one of the great romantic stories of Māori culture. Pānia was a mermaid who swam ashore near Napier at sunsetand went back into the sea before dawn each time. One evening a young chief found her hidden in the flax and made her his wife. Every night Pānia came ashore to visit her husband. After a while she had a son named Moremore . Her husband was concerned that his son would be taken away by the sea people. So he asked a Tohunga (expert practitioner) for advice. The Tohunga advised the man to put cooked food on his sleeping wife and sonto removetheir tapu , but the ritual failed. Pānia went back into the sea and turned into a rock. Moremore transformed into a Taniwha and from now on protected the coastal waters while his tribe fished and gathered seafood.

Kaiwhare

Kaiwhare lives in an underwater cave south of Piha . He regularly visited the port of Manukau for offers from tribes. At first he was kind to people, but at some point began killing women and men for some unknown reason. So it soon became dangerous to go to the sea. Fortunately, Kaiwhare was tamed by a man named Tamure , who carried a magical mere (weapon). Nowadays, Kaiwhare is no longersupposed to pose a threat to people.

Conflicts with modern society

Modern New Zealand society still values ​​the role of folklore and the history of the Māori . Yet there have been some problems regarding the traditional role of taniwha in modern New Zealand.

Despite the described below conflicts and although not all Māori at Taniwha believe play Taniwha still an important role in the cultural identity of many Māori strains in New Zealand.

In the early 20th century, two construction sites Māori believed to be home to Taniwha sparked public debate and heated discussion. Some people suggested that the objections raised against the construction were simply an attempt to get compensation. The fact that the taniwha could be paid to disappear was understandably viewed as questionable. Even among the Māori there was disagreement as to whether the commitment to the Taniwha was meant honestly. A conflict received worldwide attention after the BBC news service reported it.

Conflict over the Waikato Expressway

In 2002, the tribe rose Ngāti Naho in Waikato objection to the construction of the Waikato Expressway, because the road the cave of their Taniwha , who as Karutahi had known destroyed. Transit New Zealand finally gave in and diverted the motorway.

Ngawha in the prison conflict

The construction of a prison in Ngawha , New Zealand's Northland , should include a. also because of the belief in a taniwha , which was shaped like a log, can be prevented. The local tribe was concerned that the prison would obstruct the Taniwha’s travel to the nearby waterways, but this did not prevent the prison from being built.

Taniwha and the kite festival

2013 was the first year in which festivals of the Chinese culture and those of the Māori coincided. The Māori greeted the Chinese society with a pūkāea , a wooden trumpet up to 2.5 meters long, which in turn responded with their traditional Chinese drum sounds. The festival to share the past, present and future was held on April 27, 2013 at the Orakai Marae in Auckland and was sponsored by the Ministry of Māori Development .

literature

  • Anthony, Alpers: Maori Myths & Tribal Legends . John Murray, London 1964 (English, new edition 1972, Longman Paul, Auckland, ISBN 0-582-71674-8 ).
  • James, Cowan: The story of Pelorus Jack: the white dolphin of French Pass, New Zealand: with Maori legends . Whitcombe & Tombs, Christchurch 1911 (English, second edition 1930).
  • Margaret, Orbell: A Concise Encyclopaedia of Māori Myth . Canterbury University Press, Christchurch 1998 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Basil Keane: Taniwha. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, December 4, 2013, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  2. ^ Basil Keane: Taniwha - Ngārara - giant reptiles. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, September 22, 2012, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  3. ^ Basil Keane: Taniwha - Sharks. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, September 22, 2012, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  4. ^ Basil Keane: Taniwha - Whales, dolphins and enchanted logs. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, September 22, 2012, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  5. ^ Basil Keane: Taniwha - What are taniwha? Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, September 22, 2012, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  6. ↑ a b c d e Margaret, Orbell: A Concise Encyclopaedia of Māori Myth . 1998.
  7. ↑ James, Cowan: The story of Pelorus Jack . 1911.
  8. ^ A b Anthony, Alpers: Maori Myths & Tribal Legends . 1964.
  9. ^ A b c Jan Corbett: Transit and the taniwha. The New Zealand Herald - Online Edition, November 9, 2002, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  10. ↑ a b Greg Ward: Maori swamp creature delays road. BBC News World Edition, November 4, 2002, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  11. ^ Taniwha meets the Dragon at festival. stuff.co.nz from Fairfax Media, April 28, 2013, accessed May 29, 2013 .
  12. ^ Taniwha & Dragon Festival. Te Puni Kōkiri , April 2013, accessed May 18, 2019 .