Whānau (Māori pronunciation:[ˈɸaːnaʉ]) is theMāori word for the basicextended family group. WithinMāori society thewhānau encompasses three or four generations and forms the political unit below the levels ofhapū (subtribe),iwi (tribe or nation) andwaka (migration canoe). These steps are emphasised in Māori genealogy as a person'swhakapapa.
In pre-contactMāori tribal organisation thewhānau historically comprised a family spanning three to four generations, and would number around 20 to 30 people. It formed the smallest partition of the Māori society.[1]
Thekaumātua (tribal elders), senior adults (pākeke) such as parents, uncles and aunts, and the sons and daughters together with their partners and children. Large whānau lived in their own compound in thepā. Whānau also had their own gardening plots and their own fishing and hunting spots. The whānau was economicallyself-sufficient. In warfare, it supported and was necessarily supported by theiwi (tribe) orhapū (sub-tribe).
The whānau would look after children and grandchildren collectively, so the loss of a parent was less likely to be devastating to a child's upbringing. In the case of orphaned children, the child would be taken in by the process ofwhāngai adoption. This form of adoption is still practised and has some legal codification in New Zealand.
Contemporary conceptions offer whānau in one of two ways:
As a descent construct,whānau has been variably described as 'extended family',[3] 'extended family or community',[4] or simply 'family'.[5]
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