Before the Christian Church reached the shores of Aotearoa Maori Spirituality Before the Christian Church reached the shores of Aotearoa

Development Maori Spirituality is an adaptation of the original spirituality held by the first settlers in Aotearoa about one thousand years ago Maori believed that all living things possessed a “Mauri” (Life-force) therefore all parts of creation are linked spiritually

Atua – Spiritual Beings Maori believed that different ‘Atua’ had control over different parts of creation. E.g. Tangaroa was responsible for the sea Tane protected the forests and birds

Io – The Supreme Being Above the different ‘Atua’ Maori also believed in Io which was greater than all other spiritual forces. They defined Io as being: The core of all spiritual powers The greatest of all Beings Everlasting, not knowing death The parent of human beings and of all things The parentless, nothing but himself Permanent, all enduring, complete, immovable The source of all things The source of all knowledge The all-seeing The hidden face The totally sacred

Safeguarding their faith Maori had laws of ‘tapu’ which were set to keep the respect in their relationship with the ‘Atua’ They had (and still have) many traditions regarding ‘tapu’ which include ceremonies and ‘karakia’ or prayers Above all they respected the ‘atua’ due to the ‘mana’ (spiritual power) they possessed

Tupuna Another aspect of Maori Spirituality is the way they honoured their ancestors (tupuna) They believed that the spirits of their ancestors lived on They took comfort from believed contact with their ‘tupuna’

Key terms linked with Maori Spirituality Atua Mana Tane Karakia Tapu Tangaroa Mauri Tupuna Prayers Ancestors Life Force Spiritual Guardian of the sea Spiritual Guardian of the forest & birds Sacred Spiritual being or Guardian Spiritual Power

Answers Atua Spiritual being or Guardian Mana Spiritual Power Tane Karakia Tapu Tangaroa Mauri Tupuna Spiritual being or Guardian Spiritual Power Spiritual Guardian of the forest & birds Prayers Sacred Spiritual Guardian of the sea Life Force Ancestors