Hinenui-i-te-pō

I question the interpretation of 'whakamā' to mean 'shame'. 'Whakamā' literally means 'to cleanse' and we can see that the use of shame as a translation of whakamā represents the use of a moral framework that does not belong to this story, to interpret this story. Instead, I think the theme of cleansing is about Hine seeking to establish her own integrity, identity and position in the world as connected but distinct from Tāne. She is fashioned by Tāne from the earth (Papatuanuku) but in time she makes a journey which is about establishing her own place in the world. If one looks at wisdom traditions throughout the world, one finds the feminine associated with two things - setting the boundaries (guardians of the threshold) and transformation. And so it is with Hine in our traditions. (remembering we are talking about qualities first, not gender.) Hine sits at the threshold between night and day, te kaitiaki o te tatau pounamu. She ushers in new life and receives in death. As it is a fact of life that no one comes to this existence except through the feminine, through the mother, it is not too much to suggest, therefore, that one leaves this life in a similar fashion. Hence, Hine as both 'tītama' and 'nui-i-te-pō'. Of course, this arrangement is manifest in our pōwhiri upon the marae. Hinenui-i-te-pō stands at the threshold, the gateway, on to the marae (the womb of Hinenui-i-te-pō). The guys doing the wero are the fantails at her thighs. Hine also appears near the doorway into the meeting house, now as Hinetītama ushering pōwhiri participants to make the journey into Te Ao Mārama, represented by the whare. The role of the karanga is to 'whakaahua', to bring these qualities into being.

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