Taha Wairua An annotated bibliography of Māori spiritual terminology
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Taha Wairua
An annotated bibliography of
Māori spiritual terminology
This book list is intended to help those undertaking research into taha wairua and
related terminology. It is relevant only to Māori descriptions of spirituality, and draws
from the collections held in the Tauranga City Libraries, in the New Zealand Room
(NZR MAO), the Sladden Māori collection (SLA MAO) and the Māori lending collection
(Adult MAO). It is by no means exhaustive, and I envisage that it will be added to as
Tauranga City Libraries continue to purchase other materials. I have also included the
Dewey Decimal number of the book to help the reader to locate it.
‘Taha wairua’ is a broad term which is often used to describe the spiritual side of life.
Although it can be defined in any number of ways, I have focused on the terms used
by Māori to describe spiritual beliefs. I have noticed an increasing demand for
information relating to Māori spiritual concepts and have therefore decided, out of
necessity, to limit my search to these concepts. ‘Taha wairua’, admittedly, can be read
into all aspects of Māori life, and, therefore, the literature describing this. However,
many people often look for the key terms in order to start the process of research; it
is my hope that these people will find this book list of use.
Carl Mika
Māori Services Librarian
16 August 2001
Pukapuka Rārangi Māori
Taha Wairua
Salmond, Anne. Hui: A study of Māori Ceremonial Gatherings. Auckland: Reed
Methven, 1985.
Discusses tapu and noa in relation to the wharenui, and to hui. Also gives an
interesting description of ‘waerea’ as a protective incantation when entering onto a
strange marae. Gives an example of a waerea. Uses language typical of ritual
description; tikanga may sound trite when illustrated in anthropological language, but
this is unavoidable. If anything, then, it highlights the tension between oral and
written forms of description.
Adult MAO 394 SAL
SLA MAO
Reed, A.W. Māori myth: the supernatural world of the Māori. Auckland: Reed, 1977.
Talks about the movement and journey of the wairua after death, as well as the
learning process of the tohunga. The writing style is light-weight, but this is to be
expected, as it is narrated in ‘story-telling’ form. Very good book for those wanting
superficial information about wairua and tohunga.
Adult MAO 398.2 REE
Page 1 of 5 © Tauranga City CouncilThe Māori: Heirs of Tane. London: Orbis, 1917.
Includes some interesting descriptions of tapu, noa, mauri, tohunga and wairua, in the
chapter “Te Kauae Runga: Things spiritual”. Also highlights some of the gods and their
roles.
Adult MAO 305.8 LEW
NZR MAO 305.8 LEW
Orbell, Margaret. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Māori Myth and Legend.
Christchurch: Canterbury University Press, 1995.
Includes some basic descriptions of tapu and noa, wairua and ‘fairies’. A sort of a
quick reference for anyone new to these concepts.
Adult MAO 398 ORB
NZR MAO 398 ORB
Irwin, James. An Introduction to Māori Religion. Bedford Park, S. Australia: Australian
Association, 1984.
Describes Māori world view in a way which may now appear cliched, although at the
time this book was probably effective in educating mainly Pakeha. Tries strongly to
justify Māori world view. In a sense this book would be more beneficial for Pakeha,
although it examines labels such as tapu. It acknowledges, albeit impliedly, the
difficulty in finding equivalents in the English language.
Adult MAO 299.92 IRW
NZR MAO 299.92 IRW
King, Michael, ed. Tihe Mauri Ora – Aspects of Māoritanga. Methuen New Zealand,
1978.
Collection of writers discuss topical issues which were raised in Te Ao Hurihuri. Of
particular interest is Ranginui Walker’s contribution – “The Relevance of Māori Myth
and Tradition”. He discusses the importance of ‘myth’ to Māori and urges readers to
re-position myth in its traditionally important context. He examines some of the
heroes/heroines of traditional times and highlights the lessons that they teach us.
Contains karakia.
Adult MAO 301.29931 TIH
NZR MAO 301.29931 TIH
Best, Elsdon. Spiritual and Mental Concepts of the Māori. Wellington: Government
Printer, 1986.
Gives very detailed descriptions of various states of Māori spirituality, including terms
not often in use nowadays. Written in ethnological style typical of that era, Best
attempts to describe Māori spiritual terms by comparing/contrasting them with
‘superior’ Western terms. Some of his information, too, may not be completely
reliable.
Adult MAO 299 BES
SLA MAO
Page 2 of 5 © Tauranga City CouncilPatterson, John. Exploring Māori Values. Dunmore Press, 1992.
This book gives examples of ‘values’, for example mauri, tapu, noa. It then discusses
the practical element of these values, but tends to reduce importance of their spiritual
dimension.
Adult MAO 199.93089994 PAT
NZR MAO 199.93089994 PAT
Ra, Mitaki. Spiritual Pathways Selections. Te Kauwhata: Mitaki Ra Publications, 1997.
A badly written book. No background is given about the author. The book is
suspiciously new age in style, and appears to reinvent established traditions. No
references are given, which suggests that the reader is only being given the world
view of the author. Could be useful when comparing styles with other books on the
same subject.
Adult MAO 291.4 RA
NZR MAO 291.4 RA
Best, E. Some aspects of Māori Myth and Religion. Wellington: Government Printer,
1954.
This book describes some of the philosophies underpinning Māori spirituality. It is
often superior in tone; Best feels the need to grade various cultures’ spiritualities. He
infers that values cannot belong to a higher culture unless they equate to Western
ones. As with the other book, Spiritual and Mental Concepts of the Māori, though, a
lot of valuable information is given, if one can get beyond the opinions given by the
writer.
Adult MAO 299 BES
SLA MAO 299 BES
Beattie, Herries. Tikao talks – Ka taoka o te ao kohatu. Auckland: Penguin Books,
1990.
Teone Taare Tikao, from Kai Tahu, spent time studying under two tohunga from the
Banks Peninsula, Koroko and Tuauau. He has relayed some of the knowledge about
traditional Māori beliefs to Herries Beattie. Beattie remarks from the outset that his
mind had great difficulty in grasping Māori abstract and spiritual ideas. However he
obviously does his best to describe some of the depth offered by Teone. Deals with
many Kai Tahu concepts, giving examples also.
Adult MAO 299 TIK
NZR MAO 299 TIK
Best, Elsdon. Māori Religion and Mythology Part II. Wellington: Government Printer,
1982.
Offers various ‘fables’ and discusses ‘black and white magic’. Also gives definitions and
examples of Māori words which describe spiritual nature of man.
Adult MAO 299 BES
NZR MAO 299 BES
SLA MAO
Page 3 of 5 © Tauranga City CouncilShirres, Michael. Te Tangata – The Human Person. Auckland: Accent, 1997.
The author is Pakeha, and was at some stage trained as a Dominican monk. He writes
about Io and the Io creation genealogies. Includes preface with recommendation by
Henare Tate. Although strongly Catholic, he focuses on Māori atua, avoiding the act of
reconciling the Christian faith and Māori spirituality. The book focuses mainly on Io.
Adult MAO 305 SHI
NZR MAO 305 SHI
King, Michael, ed. Te Ao Hurihuri – The World moves on. Methven New Zealand, 1975.
Particularly interesting is “God, Man and Universe: A Māori View” by Māori Marsden.
He examines various Māori spiritual terms, sometimes drawing parallels with Christian
beliefs.
Adult MAO 305.8 AOH
NZR MAO 305.8 AOH
Shortland, Edward. Traditions and Superstitions of the New Zealanders. London:
Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1856.
Quite simplistic description of Māori spiritual terms – writing style is typically
paternalistic. The book offers an insight into the style of that time as well as the way
in which European writers regarded others’ spiritual beliefs.
Adult MAO 305.8 SHO
SLA MAO 305.8 SHO
Walker, Ranginui. Ka whawhai tonu matou. Penguin Books, New Zealand, 1990.
Although written far more recently, this author also uses some very interesting
language, equating tohunga makutu with ‘shaman’. He mainly talks about tohunga
and tapu. He challenges contemporary belief; indeed this very popular book was one
of the first to critique Western views of good and evil. For instance he regards the
tohunga makutu as having played an important role in traditional Māori society, even
though they are often likened to black witches.
Adult MAO 305.8 WAL
NZR MAO 305.8 WAL
King, Michael. Moko: Māori tattooing in the 20th century. David Bateman, 1992.
Mentions tapu briefly in relation to taa moko. Not very comprehensive in this regard.
Adult MAO 391.65 KIN
NZR MAO 391.65 KIN
SLA MAO
Page 4 of 5 © Tauranga City CouncilBeattie, James Herries. Traditional Lifeways of the Southern Māori. University of
Otago Press, 1920.
James Herries interviewed a number of Kai Tahu informants, both men and women.
The book includes descriptions of wairua, atua, ‘witchcraft’ (rotua) and other lesser-
known terms. It is interesting because he invited a number of kaumatua to give
definitions for many terms, so the reader is given various opinions on the meaning of
one term.
Adult MAO 306.093149 BEA
NZR MAO 306.093149 BEA
Barlow, Cleve. Tikanga Whakaaro: Key concepts in Māori culture. Auckland: Oxford
University Press, 1991.
There are subsequent reprints of this publication, up to 2001. This book is a kind of
quick reference to many Māori spiritual terms, and includes contemporary applications
of them. Some interesting discussion offered; Sir Hugh Kawharu acknowledges in the
foreword that “… the author is careful to limit the scope of his writing” and that one
cannot explain centuries of tradition in a single book. However, written in both English
and Māori, it is clear and concise.
Adult MAO 394 BAR
NZR MAO 394 BAR
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