Tribe Life
Rankings
What were the rankings?
Rangatira
The Rangatira was the chief of the tribe and the highest ranking.
Nga wahine rangatira-nui (high ranking women)
Females that were born to an important family were given the respect of a princess or a queen.
Tamaiti (Children)
Children learnt about daily jobs and tasks, children also played games and socialised with each other. whaea
The mothers were the main caregiver of their child, they would sing lullabies, tell legends and tribal history to their children. A women with a child was the bearer of future generations and was protected and respected.
Nga matua
In the Maori tribes a father would look after the mother and make sure she was calm, relaxed and in a proper …show more content…
Most of the warriors were men but women sometimes fought. Their bravery and strength was admired. Maori tribes fought over land, resources and the tribes pride. The Maori were trained as warriors at an early age. They used sticks to practice throwing spears and to train for combat. They learned to wrestle and throw heavy objects like rocks. Before going into battle the war party would often perform a haka.
Tohunga
An expert in a tribe is someone that succeeds in a particular skill, job, art. Experts can be priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers, fighters, fishermen, harvesters, hunters, cooks, weavers or advisors.
Kaumatua (Elder)
An elder of the tribe is in their mid 60s or older, wise and has knowledge of tribal history and traditions. The role of a tribe elder was very important, they were the leaders of the family and made decisions about the family land and education for the children.
iwi whakapono (Priests)
A priest in a Maori tribe was an expert. They had knowledge of the religion of the tribe and spiritual ceremonies, this information was passed down by generations in the tribe.
kaiwhakaora (Healer)
A tribe's healer
Did the rankings affect what care they were …show more content…
Children were educated with lessons which prepared them for the daily tasks/jobs in the tribe. They learnt by watching and participating, they tended gardens, gathered seafood and birds. Some children who had natural talents for jobs were assessed to see if they could attend classes of higher learning and train as experts.
What jobs were there in a tribe?
In a traditional Maori tribe the Maori people worked and helped within their whānau (family). Jobs like gardening, harvesting, hunting, fishing and eeling were seasonal. Some tasks, such as rat trapping, canoe building and fighting wars were done by able bodied men, weaving and cooking was done by women. Tohunga were specialists in areas such as carving, tattooing, the arts, building and spiritual matters. The Rangatira was the chief of the tribe (they usually inherited this role), the Rangatira were wise and made sure there was peace along the boundaries and within the tribe.
Environment
What type of environment did they live