It seems to be another modern invention by elite maori and legal activists

It is now generally accepted to mean the maori way of life, or culture or maori tribal lore.

The word itself is not in any of the early history books I have been able to read and study.

It is not in Thomas Kendall’s early Grammar of The Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand published in 1820.

William Colenso, who recorded the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and was a famous printer and translator, mentions a word Ritenga in his book of Common Prayer

The first mention of the word that we have been able to find is in the Southern Cross Newspaper of 5th February 1848 when it refers to maori killing each other according to their "old tikanga"

Fast forward to the 21st century and we are told that Tikanga is Maori Customary Law and that it should be taught in University Legal Courses and used by the lawyers to justify certain actions by maori criminals.

Utu is perhaps the most well known. It has many meanings but best known for extracting revenge when thought to be wronged in some way.

Tapu is another, it covers respect for the land where crops were grown, or places where food was eaten. Some of the early visitors noted that this was a good concept. But it is extended to include respect for sacred pagan gods which were outlawed by the NZ Tohunga Suppression Act 1907.

Whakapapa or lineage (or to modern civilisations Genealogy) is a natural basic human desire to pass on some information about one’s ancestors. But the elite iwi now use it to claim traditional rights to property.

Mana or personal status and pride is another basic human trait that modern maori have elevated to world leading status, as if they are the only tribe among the other 500 plus tribes in the primitive world that used it. Today modern maori over pronounce it as Munah and use it to justify all sorts of actions.

Muru was a really sad maori custom. It means plunder, robbery etc. But was commonly used when a person fell ill or on bad times, instead of helping them, as any caring people would, they ostracised them, put them outside the village and took all of their possessions.

The other maori customs which could be called Tikanga are all too evil to think of.

Infanticide, especially of females was a common practice The maori did not seem to have a name for it, but it is well documented (xxx HW)

Witchcraft like most primitive tribes this was just normal practice amongst maori – eg the Hau Hau movement – We all know it existed in just about every primitive nation – The Incas, The Vikings, The Zulu, the Ancient Britons etc etc.

And lastly Cannabilism. Once again, we have not been able to find a maori word for this. But it is well documented. It was very prevalent in most pacific islands. Maori seemed to perform canmabilism on defeated enemies to show some sort of victory over them. There are many cases of early European explorers and settlers being cannibalised

At the Kohimarmara Conference in 1860, many maori chiefs got up and said how pleased they were that they were now living under British law and the evils of their ways were no longer around. They could live their lives in peace and were pleased to have the British system of justice, rather than be killed, for example for adultery.

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So now we fast forward to the fact that our universities are teaching Tikanga as an alternate legal system!!

We need to find out exactly what they are teaching, and how the tutors can sleep at night

Back to Maori-dom

(md05)