Political System
As was described in the previous
chapter, classic Maori societies were ruled by chiefs. Male elders called kaumatua headed
the whanau,
and also acted as the family spokesmen at meetings of the hapu. Leaders of the various hapu were called ariki. Ariki invariably
came from the senior rangatira
line, and were almost always first-born males. On the occasions when the
firstborn of a senior rangatira
line was female, she was accorded great respect as wahine-ariki or woman chief. The ariki held the
land owned by a hapu
in sacred trust on behalf of the entire hapu. Ariki
were also charged with overseeing distribution of resources, including food
surpluses. Ariki
of the same iwi
would also meet and discuss matters related to the iwi;
each ariki was considered equal.
As with many chiefdoms, Maori society
could plausibly be likened to a theocracy, since religious beliefs were heavily
interwoven into their political system. Ariki were seen to possess a large amount of mana, a spiritual
charisma conferred upon them by the gods. However, “divine right to rule” was
not absolute. Some ariki
were accorded chiefly status based not on birth but on their leadership
abilities or from obtaining mana through tribal politics or other noble acts. Similarly,
ariki who
lost mana
through poor leadership or breach of tapu could lose their status.
Taua muru –
Maori warfare
No description of the Maori political
system would be complete without touching on the warriorlike
Maori’s style of warfare. Their concern with mana and prestige
meant that virtually any insult or injury between hapu or iwi was regarded
as an occasion to seek utu,
which roughly translates as "revenge" but can also mean
"consequences." Military raids called taua muru were thus quite common in
pre-colonial times; they were believed to restore and maintain the mana of the hapu as a whole
as well as that of individual chiefs and warriors. Favored weapons included
hand clubs called patu
(which had a notch for catching the opponent’s club) and a long club/spear
hybrid called the taiaha.
The taiaha
in particular was a formidable weapon and a veritable work of art, ornately
carved and often decorated with a cluster of feathers (meant to distract
opponents). Almost all combat was hand-to-hand.
Before battle, warriors would perform
a haka peruperu,
which consisted primarily of stamping feet and slapping their chests while
chanting, proclaiming their own strength and fighting prowess through special
chants, and occasionally verbally abusing the opposing party. Warriors would
also stick out their tongues at the opposition, a gesture of defiance which
implies, “I will eat you.” In pre-colonial times this was not an idle threat,
although human sacrifice and cannibalism were significantly less prevalent in
But not all conflicts resulted in
bloodshed. Unless the offenses which fueled the raid were grave, often booty in
the form of greenstone and other precious objects was all that was needed to
restore honor. In some cases, members of the offending tribe freely laid
“gifts” out for the coming warriors in order to avoid bloody conflict or to
demonstrate acknowledgment of wrongdoing, on behalf of the entire group or on
behalf of a single offending member for whom the hapu bore and accepted
responsibility.
