Hau: Giving Voices to the Ancestors

Authors

  • Amber Nicholson Ngāruahine; Auckland University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15286/jps.128.2.137-162

Keywords:

hau, mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), reciprocity, spirit of the gift, gift exchange

Abstract

Gift exchange within Māori society, underpinned by the notion of hau, is a favoured topic for anthropological research. Hau has become an international phenomenon due to its potential relevance to understanding gift economies in many non-monetary societies worldwide. However, the desire in anthropological and socioeconomic analyses to constantly redefine the concept of hau within the narrow context of gift exchange has led to a separation of hau as the life force from its Māori philosophical base and, moreover, to a separation of Māori from the philosophy of hau. This article attempts to provide an expansive, culturally grounded account of hau by bringing Māori voices to the forefront of this international discussion. The voices of Māori ancestors are privileged and kept alive through the oral literature of respected Māori leaders. Highlighted here is the dynamic interaction of hau with other life forces, and its interwoven philosophy that is nuanced according to a cosmological, spiritual and genealogically based worldview.

Author Biography

Amber Nicholson, Ngāruahine; Auckland University of Technology

Amber Nicholson is a lecturer in the Management Department at Auckland University of Technology and a PhD student at the University of Auckland Business School. Her PhD thesis, “Arohia Ngā Tapuwae o Ngā Tūpuna: Heed the Footprints of the Ancestors”, focuses on the revitalisation of Māori conceptions of economy. Through this, Amber is exploring the ways that the energy of ancestral landscapes shapes modern-day business, as an indigenous Māori worldview involves spiritual and genealogical ties to the earth and thus deepens the notion of what is referred to in modern business practice as sustainability.

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Published

2019-06-25

Issue

Section

Articles