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Culture
Right through history forests have provided many of the products and benefits essential for the survival of man and the development of civilisation. As a result, forests have been the focus of much thought and it is not surprising that they have had a strong influence on our culture.
New Zealand is no exception, starting with the pre-European Maori culture.
For Maori, bush-clad mountains and secluded valleys provided a fertile setting for the evolution of myth and legend. The shapes and daily events in the forest are reflected in traditional Maori art and song. Like many other cultures, Maori also used forests as sources of traditional medicines (rongoa).
Forests are impacting the cultural development of the present generations but exactly how will only emerge with historical perspective.
Heritage
Utilisation of forest resources features strongly in New Zealand’s history – both before and after European settlement.
Initiated by Captain James Cook’s observations in 1769 of the superior timber quality available in New Zealand, a vigorous spar and mast trade developed with Britain. By the mid 1800s the value of all timber exports was reaching 30% of all exports. (Whaling, sealing and flax were the other key activities).
The forest industry employed many thousands of people and saw the construction of numerous structures for the transportation and processing of forest products. The forests also provided material for permanent buildings such as town halls and churches.
Many remnants of those early endeavours remain including numerous Kauri dams in Northland and the Coromandel.
Many significant structures have been formally identified as historic places and are registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
These sites have special value for people as they represent their heritage, as a nation, as a people or as an individual. For many New Zealanders, their forebears were associated with particular localities – these forests and their associated infrastructure will have special meaning for them and tales about what went on are still part of living family history.
Maori Land Values
Ehara taku toa I te toa takitahi
Engari he toa takitini
My strength is not in my individualism
but in my family
Traditional Maori attitudes to the land, the sky, rivers, lakes and seas, and the creatures that live in them are based on their knowledge and beliefs about the beginnings of the world.
Their beliefs are the basis of a very close relationship and understanding between the Maori people and the world. They are built on a bond of kinship, trust, respect and dependence on each other that is essential for humankind and the universe to exist together in harmony.
For Maori, the beginning of the world starts with Ranginui, the Sky Father and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother and their offspring living in the world of darkness.
At strong desire grew up among the children of Ranginui and Papatuanuku to find the world of light. They debated the matter and it became clear that some, like Tawhirimatea did not like the idea at all. Of those who agreed, Tumatauenga suggested that their parents should be killed.
Tanemahuta, the guardian spirit of the forest, did not like that and suggested instead they should be pushed apart, setting Ranginui in the distance and leaving Papatuanuku, their Earth Mother, close to them. The majority of the children agreed to separate their parents.
Rongomatane was the first to try, then Tangaroa, then Haumiatiketike. Tumatauenga tried to separate them by cutting the sinews that joined them. It was Tanemahuta, however, who eventually pushed the parents apart and allowed the family to enter the world of light.
Their coming into the world of light and the evolution of life on Earth made the Maori realised the strong bonds of friendship between all living things and further that they all have responsibilities and obligations to each other.
Kinship Ties to Land
The Maori traditional attitude to the land, forests, and the creatures that live in the forests have been likened to a family with strong kinship ties. The whakapapa (genealogy) illustrates the family ties between each member.
Tanemahuta depends on Papatuanuku for his livelihood through the nutrients that are contained in the soil. In a similar way, birds, insects, reptiles and other animals depend on him for food, shelter and clothing. The dependence of Tanemahuta on his parent also places pressure and responsibilities on him to return the favour with respect and care, so that Papatuanuku will continue to provide sustenance for him and his children.
Traditionally, there was a specific custom for the taking or use of any material for basic living, such as food, shelter or clothing. For any of these, a formal ceremony took place. This is valid today for many Maori. A recent occasion involved a ceremony to mark the removal of a tree for the construction of a waka (canoe) by the people of the Taitokerau.
Maori view the land and forests as similar to relationships between humans. This attitude protects forests and the land from any unwanted destruction, and is an important ingredient of the traditional Maori attitude to land and forests.
The land is there to provide sustenance for the Maori people, who are descended from Papatuanuku, but do not own her. Ownership of the land is in direct conflict with traditional Maori values. Individual humans do not own their mother or grandmother, and so too, with the traditional Maori view of the land.
Just as we would not sell our grandmother, so we should not sell land. During our life we are caretakers of the land (Papatuanuku) and are responsible for the proper use of it. When we die, however, the land for which we have been responsible passes on to our children, who in turn will pass it on to their children. Kinship ties are very strong bonds and the traditional method of handing down responsibility and identifying land was through whakapapa.
Nevertheless, Maori accepted the need to use the children of Tanemahuta for food, shelter and clothing at a basic economic level. The issue, however, was not just about human needs but also about using the resource properly with the care and respect that it deserves. The traditional process of selection, access and removal requires the observance of rituals and ceremonies.
In Maori tradition, each tree is like a human being with life force and spirit of its own. A piece of totara, therefore, is not simply a wooden plank, it is part of one of the children of Tanemahuta filled with its own spirit and its own special qualities. Like human beings born into this world, the land and the forests have their place in the sun and deserve the same care and respect.
Even with these beliefs however, it is a fact that around Maori settlements, land clearance for gardens, inability to control breakaway fires and with the use of fire to support hunting activity – the natural forest area did reduce during Maori settlement although it was over a period of several hundred years. |