GUARDIAN
KAITIAKI | manaaki | TIAKINA
the capacity to be a guardian and protect land
The Māori view humanity as part of nature, not separate. Kaitaikitanga is guardianship whose role is to safeguard and protect whenua. Kaitiaki derives from the word tiaki, which means to care, nurture and watch over. Kaitiaki are localised roles, usually pertaining to a group of people who have a sense of attachment to an area or piece of land, their role becoming the guardians of that area, often in an endemic relationship. Kaitiakitanga stipulations, practices, and conditions are most commonly locally defined and enforced.
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kaitiaki |
manaaki |
tiakina |
Whakapapa, the inter-relationship between all forms of existence is the paradigm of Māori preference for understanding the guardian relationship between humans and the environment.