What does Pakeha literally mean?

Historians and language experts agree that the original meaning of the word Pākehā is most likely to be ‘pale, imaginary beings resembling men’, referring to a sea-dwelling, godlike people in Māori mythology. It has been used to describe Europeans, and then New Zealanders of European descent since before 1815.

What is Pakeha paralysis?

The confusion stems from, on the one hand, a phenomenon I refer to as Pakeha paralysis: Pakeha inability to distinguish between their role in Māori-centred research and their role in research in a New Zealand society, which involves Māori among other ethnic groups.

What is Pakeha culture?

Pākehā culture (usually synonymous with New Zealand European culture) derives mainly from that of the European (mostly British) settlers who colonised New Zealand in the 19th century. Until about the 1950s many Pākehā saw themselves as British people, and retained strong cultural ties to “Mother England”.

What is the relationship between Māori and Pakeha?

Most ‘Pākehā-Māori’ were traders, whalers, sealers, runaway seamen, or escaped convicts from Australia. They settled in Māori communities, adopted a Māori lifestyle, and were treated by Māori as both Māori and as useful go-betweens with the Pākehā world.

How religious is NZ?

Almost half (48.6 percent) of New Zealanders stated they had no religion in the 2018 census and 6.7 percent made no declaration. However, Christianity remains the most common religion; 37 percent of the population at the 2018 census identified as Christian.

What happened Pakeha Maori?

Unlike many Pākehā-Māori, Maning was literate. He wrote a memoir, Old New Zealand: a tale of the good old times by a Pakeha Maori. In later life he became a land court judge. His deep connection with Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand continued throughout his life.

What did the Maori trade with the Pakeha?

Around 1830 there were about 300 Pākehā living in New Zealand, and at least 100,000 Māori. Trade had grown between visiting whaling ships and Māori – in return for goods such as muskets or iron tools Māori provided food, water and firewood. Shore whaling stations began and some European whalers married Māori women.

Why do you take your shoes off in a marae?

While generally seen as a courtesy, the principle of removing one’s shoes is also a symbolic one. It represents the leaving of the dust of Tū Matauenga (God of War) outside so that it does not soil the house of Rongo (God of Peace).

What is the meaning of the word kaumātua?

Kaumātua are elders in Māori society. Male elders are also known as koroua (or koro for short), and female elders as kuia. Whether a person can be considered a kaumātua depends on age, knowledge of tribal history and traditions, and the presence of other potential elders for younger generations to turn to.

What is the origin of the word Pakeha?

The Word Pakeha. Pakeha, which is a Maori term for the white inhabitants of New Zealand, was in vogue even prior to 1815. Its original meaning and origin are obscure, but the following are possible origins, the first being the most probable: From pakepakeha: imaginary beings resembling men.

What is the difference between Pakeha and Maori?

The English – Maori: Maori – English Dictionary (Briggs, 1990)defines Pakeha as “white (person)”. Kiwi Words and Phrases (Campbell, 1999) defines Pakeha as a “non-Maori person”. Mary-Ellen O’Connor (1990) defines Pakeha as “the dominant white race in New Zealand.

What does Te Reo Pākehā mean?

E ai ki tā Te Hōtereni, kua tū Pākehā, kua tino matatau ki te reo Pākehā (TTR 1990:106). / According to Edward Shortland, he had become European and very proficient in the English language. 3. (noun) New Zealander of European descent – probably originally applied to English-speaking Europeans living in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

“Pakeha paralysis” draws on my experiences as author, teacher and university ethics committee member to account for the reasons why so many Pakeha postgraduate students are caught in a state of paralysis, deliberately excluding Māori from their general population research samples.