Rangatira
In
The concept of a rangatira is central to rangatiratanga—a Māori system of governance, self-determination and sovereignty.[1]
Etymology
The word rangatira means "chief (male or female), wellborn, noble" and derives from Proto-Central Eastern Polynesian *langatila ("chief of secondary status").[2] Cognate words are found in Moriori, Tahitian, Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, Marquesan and Hawaiian.[citation needed]
Interpretations
Three interpretations of rangatira consider it as a compound of the Māori words "ranga" and "tira". In the first case, "ranga" is devised as a
Ethnographer John White (1826-1891) gave a different viewpoint in one of his lectures on Māori customs.[4] He said Māori had traditionally formed two kahui who came together to discuss history or whakapapa.
- "Each chief in the kahui had his place assigned to him, according to the amount of knowledge he possessed; and this place was given to him by the leader of the kahui of which he was a member. This act of the leader was called ranga, or putting in order. The people, as they came to the temple in a body, were called tira, or company; and as the leader had to assign, or ranga, a place to each of his tira, he was called the rangatira, from which we derive our word in Maori for chief, rangatira."[4]
This interpretation fits well with a second translation where "ranga" is an abbreviation of rāranga (or weaving) and "tira" signifies a group.[3](p195)
A third interpretation fits equally well with this translation, interlinking concepts related to the identity of the ‘tira’. In the first instance, the conditional hospitality[5][6][7] presented in the form of weaving created for the ‘tira’ of guests. In the second instance, the collective intentionality[8][9] "enacted in the weaving" of the ‘tira’ of hosts.[3](p196) Together, these concepts highlight the value attached to the "personal relationship" between the leader and their group.[3](p196) This type of relationship is similar to the mahara atawhai (endearment or "benevolent concern") offered in the Treaty of Waitangi’s preamble by Queen Victoria, reflecting the pre-nineteenth century "personal bond between the ruler and subject".[10](p177)
References
- ^ a b Smith, Cherryl; Tinirau, Rāwiri; Rattray-Te Mana, Helena; Moewaka Barnes, Helen; Cormack, Donna; Fitzgerald, Eljon (2021). "Rangatiratanga: Narratives of Racism, Resistance, and Well-bein" (PDF). TTe Atawhai o Te Ao, Independent Māori Institute for Environment & Health. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Adams, T.; Benton, R.; Frame, A.; Meredith, P.; Benton, N.; Karena, T. (2003). "Te matapunenga: A compendium of references to concepts of Maori customary law" (PDF). The University of Waikato. p. 15.
- ^ ISBN 9781869694814
- ^ a b White, J. (1826–1891). An epitome of official documents relative to Native affairs and land purchases in the North Island of New Zealand. Lectures on Maori Customs, &c., by Mr. John White, Part 11. NZETC, retrieved 13 November 2001.
- ^ Derrida, J. (2000). Of hospitality (R. Bowlby, Trans.). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
- S2CID 145583138.
- .
- ^ Searle. J. R. (1990). Collective intentions and actions. In P. R. Cohen, J. Morgan, & M. E. Pollack (Eds.), Intentions in communication (pp. 401–416). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- .
- ^ McHugh, P. G. (1991). The lawyer’s concept of sovereignty, the Treaty of Waitangi, and a legal history for New Zealand. In W. Renwick (Ed.), Sovereignty & indigenous rights: The Treaty of Waitangi in international contexts (pp. 170–189). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press.