"To my mind, the Maori explanation of creation and evolution teaches me all I need to know to understand my role in life and attitude towards nature. My heritage teaches me about concepts such as the integrity and inter-dependency of living things. It makes me quite comfortable with the notion that as a human being I am but one part of a whole and that my generation is also simply one strand in the rope of humanity. It pre-determines that the relationship I have with nature is based on kinship and respect and that in order for me to survive in a culturally rich way, I depend on the survival of others, not just other humans, but also plants and animals in the sea as well as on the land. It clarifies, that both male and female elements, are necessary to create and sustain life, be it human, plant or animal. It provides me with a proven framework from which I can analyse and identify risks and benefits to the well-being of all those areas that form my cultural heritage and encourages me to accept responsibility that in my lifetime I will not contribute to, or allow others to cause, any diminishment to the cultural heritage of my ancestors and descendants, including those yet unborn.
Whatungarongaro he tangata; toitu he whenua
Man will always perish, but the land will remain forever"
SACRED BALANCE Aroha Te Pareake Mead
2 comments:
One of the places I miss, being as I am a long way from NZ is the East Cape. Nice pictures, well seen. And great words to go with them.
Thanks, that was my first time around the East Cape, and I was truley inspired by it. The words are borrowed but I felt a strong connection to.
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