Follow
'Mana' has many meanings, including: authority, charisma, prestige, integrity, spiritual power and strength. 'Wahine' at its simplest and most common understanding means woman/women, female and wife. The combination of the two can be loosely defined as 'woman of strength'. Source: http://www.toho.org.nz/clubs/mana-wahine/
Mana wāhine is embedded in Māori world view. Our creation narratives speak of the specific power and qualities of female deities such as Papatūānuku, the earth mother, who had a loving relationship with Ranginui, the sky father. The first human, in Māori beliefs, was a woman: Hineahuone. A woman gave the first breath of life, instigated by the male god, Tāne. Their daughter Hine-tītama was the dawn maiden, who became Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess and guardian of the underworld. The affirmation of the spiritual power and charisma of women is threaded through our narratives, and our tikanga, as is the natural order and balance of men and women. It's when things get out of balance, and the mana of each person is not recognised, that we have problems! Source: Stacey Morrison https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/stacey-morrison-mana-wahine-embedde...
Wai 2700 – Mana Wāhine Inquiry will hear outstanding claims which allege prejudice to wāhine Māori as a result of Treaty breaches by the Crown. These claims extend across many fields of Crown policy, practice, acts and omissions, both historical and contemporary, and of related legislation, service provision and state assistance. A judicial conference was convened on 27 May 2020 to discuss the scope and structure of the inquiry, as well as issues concerning research, claimant funding and overlap with other inquiries. Source: https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/inquiries/kaupapa-inquiries/mana-w....
One woman who came to the attention of the earliest settlers as a leader was Hinematioro of Ngati Porou, whose mana was recognised from Poverty Bay to Hicks Bay. Another was Rangi Topeora, of Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toa descent. She was a signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi, a powerful landowner, and a prolific composer of waiata. Her mother, Waitohi, was Te Rauparaha's sister, a leader in her own right and a known military strategist. Source: https://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/research/waikato_law_review/pubs/volu...
Wāhine o Te Tiriti o Waitangi (women who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840)
- Ana Hamu - Bay of Islands
- Ereonora - Kaitaia
- Mārama
- Rangi Topeora - Kapiti
- Rere-ō-maki