Māori and Christianity
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A Kaupapa Māori study of the positive impacts of syncretism on the development of Christian faith among Māori from my faith-world perspective Byron William Rangiwai A thesis submitted to the University of Otago in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) He mea whakaritea e Reverend Mahaki Albert mā roto i ngā karakia i mua i taku tuku ki ngā kaimāka June 2019 Dedication This work is dedicated to my late maternal grandmother, Rēpora Marion Brown (nee Maki) who inspired and maintained my faith in the Divine. Born in 1940. Passed away 1 December 2017. i Tangihanga Nan, you lie in the wharemate At Patuheuheu marae Adorned with a taonga That I gave you A pounamu Hei Tiki Kahurangi grade—fine, light And without blemish Your passing cuts deep Into my fragile, broken heart The tears sting my cheeks The hūpē dries on my black t-shirt Like the trails of a dozen snails Glistening in the summer sun The grief drains me, vampirically Like a squirming black leach Pulsating and feasting On the arteries of my aroha Its sharp mouthpiece gnawing Intensely and purposefully Images of you unwell and Dying, haunt my thoughts I recall your suffering Each time I close my eyes Hospital scenes and last moments Projected on my eyelids In High Definition realness When you made your descent Beneath Papatūānuku’s skin ii I watched from afar and wept Hinenuitepō’s embrace And Jesus’ promise of heaven Did little to comfort me Your chrome nameplate And myriad plastic flowers Now mark your resting place My whānau are my healers The rongoā for my pain Their presence and love Begins the healing As does the incessant crying Behind closed doors When I am alone Moe mai rā e te māreikura o te whakapono. Moe mai i roto i ngā ringaringa o te Atua. Nā to mokopuna. iii Contents Dedication ......................................................................................................................... i Tangihanga ...................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ vii Glossary ......................................................................................................................... viii Attestation of Authorship ............................................................................................. xv Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... xvi Abstract ....................................................................................................................... xviii Preface ............................................................................................................................ xx A Brief Personal Introduction ..................................................................................... xx Orthographic Conventions ........................................................................................ xxii Thesis Outline ............................................................................................................ xxii Preface ................................................................................................................... xxii Chapter 1: Methodology and methods .................................................................. xxiii Chapter 2: My faith-world perspective ................................................................. xxiii Chapter 3: Māori and Christianity ........................................................................ xxiii Chapter 4: Syncretism ........................................................................................... xxiii Chapter 5: Māori Religion, Prophetic Movements and Whakapono .................... xxiii Chapter 6: Impacts of Syncretism on the Development of Christian Faith among Māori ................................................................................................. xxiv Chapter 7: Conclusion .......................................................................................... xxiv Chapter 1: Methodology and Methods ......................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Kaupapa Māori ................................................................................................. 1 1.2.2 Atuatanga Model .............................................................................................. 2 1.3 Methods ................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.1 Interviews and interviewees.............................................................................. 7 1.3.2 Reflexive thematic analysis ............................................................................ 13 1.3.3 Summary ......................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2: My Faith-World Perspective .................................................................... 17 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 17 2.2 At the Crossroads of Whakapapa and Whakapono: Establishing the Parameters of my Faith-World Perspective ............................................................ 17 2.3 Syncretistic Beginnings ......................................................................................... 19 2.4 Upraised Hands: Patuheuheu, Ngāti Whare, Ngāi Tūhoe and the Ringatū Faith ......................................................................................................................... 22 2.5 Te Umutaoroa: Te Kooti’s Slow-Cooking Earth Oven ......................................... 40 2.6 Dramatic Genuflections and Sanctus Bells: Ngāti Manawa, the Fitzgeralds and Catholicism ....................................................................................................... 49 2.7 Pentecostal Experiences ........................................................................................ 56 2.8 Suits, Cycles and The Book of Mormon musical: Experiences and Reflections on Mormon Theology ............................................................................................. 60 2.9 Reconnecting with my ‘Nāti’ Roots: Ngāti Porou and Te Hāhi Mihinare ............ 69 2.10 Syncretistic ‘Odds and Ends’: Taoist and Hindu Influences ............................... 72 2.11 Summary ............................................................................................................. 75 iv Chapter 3: Māori and Christianity ............................................................................. 76 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 76 3.2 Beginnings ............................................................................................................. 76 3.3 Missionaries ........................................................................................................... 78 3.4 Māori and the Missionaries ................................................................................... 84 3.5 Establishment of the Methodist Church ................................................................ 85 3.6 Establishment of the Roman Catholic Church ...................................................... 86 3.7 Hāhi Mihinare: The Māori Anglican Church ........................................................ 88 3.8 Establishment of the Presbyterian Church ............................................................ 89 3.9 Māori, Missionaries and Te Tiriti o Waitangi ....................................................... 90 3.10 The Effects of the New Zealand Wars on the Church ......................................... 99 3.11 Summary ........................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 4: Syncretism ................................................................................................ 110 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 110 4.2 Definitions of Syncretism .................................................................................... 110 4.2.1 The indigenous context ................................................................................. 116 4.3 Evaluating Syncretism ......................................................................................... 132 4.4 Effects of Syncretism on Christianity.................................................................. 134 4.5 Summary ............................................................................................................. 135 Chapter 5: Māori Religion, Prophetic Movements and Whakapono ..................... 137 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 137 5.2 Pre-Christian Māori religion ............................................................................... 137 5.3 Syncretistic Māori Prophetic Movements ........................................................... 153