Alexander W. answered • 09/07/20
Minor in Anthropology with Straight A's in Every Class
The Maori are the native inhabitants of New Zealand, a country off the coast of Australia and which is comprised of a northern and southern island. Given their constant proximity to the ocean, the Maori have developed some rituals, incantations (spells and rites), and deities that revolve around fishing. Often times, traditions can be thought of as ways to cope with the environment the people of that nation live in. It's also important to know that the ancestors of the Maori were masters in ship navigation, as they traveled thousands of miles by sea in order to reach New Zealand as well as other island nations in the Pacific (~1200 AD). This helps reinforce the idea that they had a strong and ancient connection with the ocean.
The Maori had the god of the sea, Tangaroa. As a sign of respect, the Maori would throw the first catch into the sea for Tangaroa.
An important aspect of Maori tradition, as well as other pacific islander beliefs and practicies, is the the idea of Tapu. Tapu is like a social and restriction on a person, and is spiritual in nature. The word Taboo also derives from this.For the Maori, to remove Tapu from people, they would, " Whakahoro was a ritual to remove tapu from people using water.." Another ceremony they used was called, "hurihanga takapau (turning the mat). This was used by Māui to lift the tapu from his great fish (the North Island)."
If you have any other questions about this topic or anthropology in general ,let me know. I took a "Peoples of the Pacific" class in college and I loved it. I also minored in anthropology so I can help with some other topics.
Here is a great YouTube doc to learn about the Maori
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxeCWyC-E6M&ab_channel=HistoryTime
More information about their customs can be found here as well
