A kaumātua is a respected tribal elder in a Māori community who has been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and

future generations Future generations are Cohort (statistics), cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The Moral agenc ...

. Kaumātua have good knowledge of Māori '' tikanga'',

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

; and their contribution ensures that the mana of the whānau,

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

and iwi are maintained. Barlow (1994) refers to kaumātua as being the "keepers of knowledge and traditions of the family, sub-tribe and tribe". Although the term ' is widely used to refer to all elders, male kaumātua are more correctly called or ', and female elders are called '. The word comes from ', meaning alone, without or none, and ', meaning parents; thus, ' literally means "no parents" and reflects how the parents of older generations have passed on.

Characteristics

Kaumātua never self-proclaim their elder status, as the rules of mana prohibit this; instead the people acknowledge an elder's status as kaumātua. Kaumātua comport themselves with humility, honesty, and integrity, and typically possess deep knowledge of a particular subject such as

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

or tikanga, and know people who have expertise in other fields.

Powers

In the past, kaumātua were believed to be "the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

of a person who had acquired a supernatural or godly status after death, and who had become the protector of the family". These supernatural powers allowed the reincarnated spirits to return to earth to provide influential guidance to the remaining family. It was believed that these powers allowed the kaumātua transform themselves into birds, fish and insects. Elders of the tribe made reference to these transformed states when predicting the future and fortunes of the tribe. Additionally, along with leadership and guidance of family and

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

, many kaumātua exert a protective influence over the seas, rivers, lands and forests.

Relationships with health organisations

Kaumātua are essential to any Māori community as well as health organisations which have affiliations with Māori. This includes ''kaimatai hinengaro'' (

clinical psychologists Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or Mental disorder, dysfunction and to promote ...

), especially if they treat Māori clients or carry out health research on Māori participants. Kaumātua that are involved in health organisations play a pivotal role in guiding kaimatai hinengaro, similar to their role in the Māori community. Whilst the importance of kaumātua guidance has been predominantly acknowledged by Māori, greater awareness in non-Māori circles is beginning to acknowledge their knowledge bases as well. Non-Māori kaimatai hinengaro treating Māori clients or carrying out

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

on Māori are realizing the benefits of working under the guidance of kaumātua. For kaimatai hinengaro carrying out health research on Māori, kaumātua of local iwi can be contacted through Te Puni Kōkiri. The offices of Te Puni Kōkiri employ Māori liaison authorities who maintain a "register of local iwi contact people". Once contact is made, research objectives and outcomes are discussed with kaumātua and other tribal elders. Key contact individuals are appointed for both research and iwi sides. While the contact person for the research may be the kaimatai hinengaro, kaumātua usually represent the iwi and provide feedback on satisfaction with research methods and treatment of Māori participants.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaumatua Iwi and hapū Māori society Polynesian titles