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Delaraine states that the Maori language is spoken during these practices, following specific cultural protocols. They serve as the physical manifestation of their cultural identity and connections to their ancestral lands. She describes marae as the “l ong house ” equivalent for Wahi Tapu – the central place where clans and tribes gather for a different family, community and tribal events and practices. While the bodies are now interred differently than in the past, we retain our tangihanga (the unique practice of mourning and receiving mourners who come to pay respects over the 3 days after death, to acknowledge the deceased and the whanau pani – grieving family of the deceased in our marae ). Until Europeans came to Aotearoa in the mid-1800’s, we had different cultural burial practices. According to Delaraine, this very tradition is what binds them together as one large whanau (extended family).īurial Practices Preserve Maori Culture and Languageĭelaraine describes the cultural meaning of the burial practices in the historical context: If somebody places a flower on a grave of his/her ancestor, they should also place a flower on all other graves in the wahi tapu. This also applies to flowers that are left on the graves. Humility was an important value to this great dowager ancestor.įor the members of Te Orewai, this meant that all grave markers in their burial grounds should stay the same so that everyone would be equal. We are told that our key progenitor, Ganny Heeni, decided that after her parents were buried there, everyone who was buried afterwards would only have small white wooden crosses on their graves. There is a story told amongst our large whanau (family) about why there are only small white wooden crosses in this wahi tapu (cemetery). The picture shows the Hoterene whanau (Shortland family) cemetery of small white crosses, which has been the burial place of the Hoterene whanau for the last 150 years, and the mountain behind is our ancestral mountain, Motatau. The mountains and rivers are personified ancestors for Maori. In our Maori culture, we are very connected to the land. The burial practices play an important role in uniting their local community.Īn example of the traditional Te Orewai burial ground (wahi tapu) Read their story, together with a follow-up on the project’s development.Ĭemetery Tombstones and The Importance of Humilityĭelaraine Armstrong begins with a story about Maori culture and their heritage, shaped around deeply rooted awareness of the land and location. This project is designed to preserve important cultural practices and knowledge for the Te Orewai, Maori subtribe located at the foot of the Motatau mountain. Anyone in search of their ancestors will be able to locate their resting place on an interactive map. One of our most inspiring user stories, demonstrating the great potential of GIS Cloud mapping technologies, comes from Pipiwai, Northland (New Zealand).ĭelaraine Armstrong, Betty Cherrington, and Margaret Tipene, who won the 2nd prize in the 2015 GIS Day Contest, mapped 4 tribal burial grounds with a goal to permanently digitally record each grave marker, location, and name, to preserve burial places of their ancestors. In the digital age, many cultural practices important for local communities are facing the threat of being forgotten.