Hawaiki

What is Hawaiki?

According to Māori mythology, recited by various sources from local Māori and academic researchers, Hawaiki is the important idea of homeland - where each person come from, and where they will return in the afterlife. As Scotty Morrison, a credible Māori language academic, writer and publisher put in the TVNZ docuseries Origins, "Hawaiki is a place that we always refer to, in our tribal narratives, our tribal histories, as being the homeland. Our point of origin, our place where we come from, our place where we return to when we- we pass away."

The vague descriptions and mystical characteristic of Hawaiki has long left a question for Māori and academics alike on the interpretation of the idea: Is Hawaiki a spiritual ideology, or is there a physical Hawaiki? If yes, where exactly is Hawaiki?

Hawaiki is not only central to Māoridom - the world, the culture and traditions of Māori, it also has impacts on other Pasifika cultures, and reveals the connections between Māori culture and various Polynesian cultures from the history of their ancestors migrating around the Pacific Islands. Hawaiki's influence on Māori spirituality and personal identity is also key to the immense cultural significance the idea carries.

Dittmer, W. (1907) Imaginative reconstruction of the Māori homeland, Hawaiki. Retrieved from TeAra.govt.nz

The various interpretations of Hawaiki

There are many interpretations of Hawaiki from various perspectives, from European, Māori, scientific to mythological interpretations. This comes as a result of the mythical characteristic of Hawaiki in Māori pūrākau, and the differences in understanding and significance of Hawaiki between individuals and communities. Through a comprehensive look into various academic and oral sources from conversations with Māori, many sources agree that there is a physical Hawaiki, which is based in Raiātea, an island of Tahiti, East Polynesia. This is the homeland where the Polynesian navigators, ancestors of tangata whenua, left to migrate to Aotearoa. But it is also widely acknowledged that Hawaiki is more significant as a mythical location with different spiritual and individual significance to each person.

Early interpretations

One of the most notable early academic interpretations of a physical Hawaiki is by scholar S. Percy Smith, the founding president of the scholarly organisation Polynesian Society. By studying Māori traditions at the time, he suggested that there are multiple Hawaiki locations in localised forms, which connected to Māori origins. He pinpointed that locations such as Hawai'i, Savai'i of Samoa and Java in Indonesia, which have names which contains linguistic resemblance to Hawaiki in Te Reo Māori, may be a Hawaiki of Māori on its own.

However, Smith's interpretations on Hawaiki has since been criticised by other academics. In Margaret Orbell's book Hawaiki: a new approach to Māori traditions, the author and Māori studies professor criticised the way Smith looked at Māori iwi traditions as a historical record. Te Ara summarised Margaret Orbell's criticisms: "In her view the 'memory' of a Polynesian homeland was transformed into myth over a long period. Therefore, it is more useful to interpret iwi traditions as symbolic of past events rater than a literal representation." Local indigenous history expert Keelan Walker (Rangitāne) also agreed with this notion, saying that Māori oral history should not be interpreted word by word, but rather as a story or a lesson with meaning within its symbolism. Orbell also disapproves of the poorly explained inconsistencies in Smith's research, saying "unfortunately they approached their material in such a wildly speculative and uncritical manner" which likely happened due to the lack of historical records Smith had access to at the time.

Both S. Percy Smith's study and Orbell's criticism are significant because they show the different meanings and perspectives on Hawaiki, between a Eurocentric point of view versus a Māori-focused lens. From the speculative nature of research on Hawaiki at the time, it can be concluded that Smith's mainly Eurocentric approach to his theory acts as an early guidance on the physical connections between Hawaiki in Polynesia and Māori in Aotearoa, rather than a conclusive answer supported by Māori oral history records.

Ōriwa T. Haddon (Ngāti Ruanui), also known as Edward Oliver Haddon, was a Māori Methodist minister, pharmacist, artist and broadcaster. It is said that Haddon contributed to the research on a physical Hawaiki, where Māori whakapapa back to. In his letter to Māori newspaper Te Toa Takitini (1929, October 20), Haddon acknowledged the similarities in culture and traditions between Māori and Tahitian communities. Yet, he still concluded in his letter that he could not locate the physical Hawaiki.

A potential reason why Haddon came to an inconclusive conclusion was the lack of scientific evidence at the time, which could prove the genetic connections between Māori and ancestors from Tahiti, or the wider East Polynesia region in general. Haddon's findings were mainly speculation from connecting the cultural similarities between Māori and Tahitian traditions, along with his knowledge on Māori pūrākau which is passed down through oral history. Another reason that might have influenced this conclusion was the nuances which developed within Māori culture after generations living in Aotearoa, which made Māori traditions more distinct compared to other Polynesian cultures that were speculated to have great connections to Māori culture. This source is significant as it shows the long-lasting interest from Māori in finding the physical Hawaiki where Māori originated from, and how academics in the early 20th Century approached their findings without access to written, scientific or historical sources. The effort put into the research on the Hawaiki of Māori proves the social and cultural significance that Hawaiki carries in Māori culture.

Haddon, O. T (1929. October 20). Letter by Ōriwa T. Haddon about his findings on Hawaiki. [Photo].

"I visited the island of Rangiātea - 'Raetea' of Tahiti. The traditions of the elders there were unanimous regarding Turi and his canoe, Aotearoa [...] The traditions I heard there were no different from those I heard from my elders of Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru concerning Aotearoa. [...] However, the question to which we seek an answer is: where is Hawaiki? We have not been able to locate it."

— Ōriwa T. Haddon (1929)

Māori Perspectives

Even amongst Māori, Hawaiki is interpreted and understood in numerous ways. Conversations about Māori interpretations of Hawaiki with Wairau locals Keelan Walker, Tuku and Ōho; Matt - featured speaker at Christchurch's Inspired Summit 2023; and discussions from TVNZ docuseries Origins gave a variety of perspectives into what Hawaiki might be, both as a physical location and a spiritual destination.

One hypothesis is that Wairau Bar can be considered a physical Hawaiki of Māori in Aotearoa. This is due to the archeological connections to East Polynesian ancestors and the spiritual and mythological link between Hawaiki (mentioned in Wairau Bar) and the local pūrākau from Wairau. Tuku (Rangitāne o Wairau) addresses these spiritual connections and how it influences his interpretation of Wairau as a Hawaiki of Māori. Tuku also connected the infamous pūrākau of Māui slowing down the sun to New Zealand being one of the first countries to see the sun as to support his belief that that Aotearoa, specifically Wairau, could potentially be the Hawaiki of humanity.

Scotty Morrison, in TVNZ's docuseries Origins also puts out a theory which agreed that Wairau can be considered a physical Hawaiki in Aotearoa. This is due to the fact that early Polynesian navigators established the the Wairau settlement have as a long-term settlement in Aotearoa for the first generations which migrated to the country. "Some of those born here are believe to have lived elsewhere, but been returned to Wairau for burial, which would support a theory that first settlements like Wairau may actually have become their own revered Hawaiki homelands for early Māori as they settled other parts of Aotearoa." In this case, Wairau is considered a Hawaiki for tangata whenua, where there was a close connection to the Homeland which Māori tūpuna left to voyage to Aotearoa, where the Polynesian navigators became the first New Zealanders which lived and utilised the land.

Haddon, O. T (1929. October 20). Letter by Ōriwa T. Haddon about his findings on Hawaiki. [Photo].

Allen, J., Simmon, R. (2001, July 11). Aerial photo of Tahiti, French Polynesia. [Photo].

"Tawhiti-nui, Tawhiti-roa, Tawhiti-areare, Tawhiti-pa-mamao."

"The long and distant Tahiti"

A location outside of Aotearoa which is heavily associated by many sources as the Hawaiki of Māori is East Polynesia, specifically Tahiti, Cook Islands and Rangiatea. There are an abundance of evidence which shows the close genealogical and cultural links between Māori and Tahitian culture, proving that Māori ancestors likely came to Aotearoa from Tahiti and nearby locations.

Local Rangitāne history expert Keelan Walker previously did not define a physical location as the Hawaiki of Māori. But as technology for genetic testing developed and scientific research gained traction, he now believes that Tahiti/Marquesas Islands is the physical Hawaiki of Māori. He said: "From DNA evidence over here conducted on some of the kō iwi tangata, look at those markers, markers in our genetics, that's where it ends up." Walker's change of mindset reflects the ways interpretations of Hawaiki amongst Māori may have changed due to the advancement of genetic research, and the ambition to discover the origins of Māori beyond the first tūpuna from Aotearoa.

In TVNZ's history docuseries Origins, host Scotty Morrison travelled to Tahiti and Rangiatea to learn about the cultural and historical resemblance between Māori and both cultures. He mentions that Tahiti is referenced in a Māori proverb which is similar to how Hawaiki is referenced in Māori traditions, which means that Tahiti is possibily a location which Māori ancestors have significant connections with, before heading to Aotearoa. This interpretation is backed up in Morrison's conversations with a local resident of Rangiatea and Romy Tavaeari'i, chair of the Tuihana Association. These conversations revealed the connections between Māori and Tahitian historical records through Ngatoro-i-te-rangi, a well-renowned tohunga of navigation. Concluding his research, Scotty Morrison believes that Rai'atea/Tahiti is "a good place for us to pinpoint where Hawaiki is."

From Keelan Walker's and Scotty Morrison's perspectives, Tahiti and/or Rangiatea is considered a Hawaiki beyond the life of tangata whenua in Aotearoa, the origins of Māori from their Polynesian ancestors before the dispersal of Polynesians throughout the Pacific Ocean. This perspective forms from a combination of scientific evidence of DNA resemblance and cultural evidence within historical records of both cultures, therefore it is very possible that Tahiti is a physical Hawaiki with significant connections to Māori.

Despite the different perspectives on the location of a physical Hawaiki, all sources pointed towards Hawaiki interpreted as a spiritual concept, which Māori have significant connections towards. Keelan Walker said: "Some of our own whānau look at Hawaiki not necessarily as a place where we come from, but as a place we'll return to. And by that, many Māori believe that when we die, our wairua, our soul travel back to Hawaiki via Cape Reinga, and back out into the Pacific to Hawaiki." This shows a perspective of Hawaiki which highlights the relationship between Hawaiki and Māori connections with their identity and their whakapapa - it can be a place which Māori return to reunite with their ancestors spiritually.

There are some sources that agrees that Hawaiki is up for interpretation and therefore, there are many possibilities, both physically and mythically for what Hawaiki could be. Matt, a feature speaker from the 2023 Inspired Summit, expressed his opinion on Hawaiki as a vague spiritual concept of places with connections to Māori ancestry "There are many different interpretations of Hawaiki; it can be both a physical place and a spiritual place [...] I think everywhere our ancestors go, there is a Hawaiki there." The same view is expressed by Jack Thatcher, an experienced Māori celestial navigator, who believed that because Māori had Hawaiki everywhere they settle, that Hawaiki for Māori is moana - the ocean. It is known that ocean voyaging and discovery was central to the lives of Polynesian navigators, which meant that moana has considerable significance within Polynesian cultures and way of life. This mythical and unique perspective further supports the theory of Hawaiki being a spiritual ideal, a place an individual or a group find connection within.

"I think Hawaiki is an ideal [...] So, one of those wondrous places from whence we came. And I think everywhere we settle. we had a Hawaiki. So in Aotearoa, we have a Hawaiki back perhaps to Rarotonga, perhaps to here— to Tahiti-nui. Maybe Ra'iatea. So I think Hawaiki just might be Moana."

— Jack Thatcher (2020)

The descriptions of Hawaiki in Māori traditions is extremely mythological. Looking at the variety of beliefs expressed through sources mentioned above, it is reasonable to conclude that there is no concrete definition of Hawaiki; therefore there is not one specific Hawaiki, but rather multiple Hawaikis with that originates from different perspectives in which an individual approaches the subject. Whether it is Wairau Bar, Tahiti, or even an undefined location outside of the realm of reality, Hawaiki still holds great cultural significance which defines Māori cultural identities and mindsets.

Significance of Hawaiki

Māoridom

According to New Zealand encyclopaedia Te Ara, "Hawaiki is significant as the place where the fullness of life is first envisioned and experienced. It is the beloved image of life's origin and purpose. And Hawaiki is where human regeneration is secured and human life finds meaning." It is considered as an energy source and destination of the human's cycle of life. The reference of Hawaiki in Māori proverbs and pūrākau on life, creation, and the purpose of life shows the ideology's cultural and spiritual influence on Māori traditions and mindsets.

Oho, local Rangitāne of Wairau, referenced Hawaiki in a Mihi Whakatau: "Hawaiki nui, Hawaiki roa, Hawaiki pāmamao." He explained that the mention of Hawaiki was "a way to welcome our tūpuna nack to have a kōrero with each other, to form that deep connection between [us]. It is an acknowledgement for the people that come before us, and the people whose spirit we all carry." The references of Hawaiki in the mihi whakatau shows the immense significance of Hawaiki in Māori culture, both individually and socially. In terms of an individual significance, Hawaiki has a great impact on Māori personal spiritual relationship within oneself and their whakapapa. Socially, Hawaiki is considered a shared homeland which connects people, and different generations together.

"E taku pōtiki, kua puta mai rākoe i te toi i Hawaiki."

My child, you are born from the source, which is at Hawaiki.

"Ehara i te mea poka hōu mai: nō Hawaiki mai anō."

It is not a new thing done without proper cause: It has come to us all the way from Hawaiki.

"E ngā mate, haere ki Hawaiki,

Ki Hawaiki nui, ki Hawaiki roa, ki Hawaiki pāmamao"

To the dead, depart to Hawaiki,

To great Hawaiki, to long Hawaiki, to distant Hawaiki.

Legends of Māori mythology

Hawaiki is also the place of origin to many important legends from Māori: Te Ara states that Hawaiki "is the homeland of many of the major figures of tribal mythology and traditions, including Māui, Tāwhaki, Tiki and Rātā."

In which, Māui is one of the most well-known Māori legend, who captured the sun and fished up Te Ika-a-Māui - the North Island. Another prominant figures who were known as legends from Hawaiki in Māori culture is Kupe, the great chief of Hawaiki who attempted to slay Muturangi the giant octopus, and consequently found Aotearoa with his wife Hine-i-te-aparangiati at estimatedly 800AD to 925AD. In fact, the name Aotearoa was believed to come from Hine-i-te-aparangiati when she found Aotearoa and saw long white clouds in the horizon. Kupe's discovery slowly led to the mass migration of Polynesian migrators from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.

Because of this great connection between Hawaiki in the tropical region and Aotearoa, Hawaiki is therefore often referenced in local pūrākau - stories that are passed down between generations of Māori. The relevance of Hawaiki in many Māori legends shows the significance of the ideal as a symbol of life for Māori. These stories referencing Hawaiki is also mythically and spiritualy significant to Māori identity and their understanding of Māoridom.

Painting of Kupe fishing up the North Island. (2019, August 12) [Painting]

First Light Travel (n.d.) Artistic reimagine of Kupe facing Muturangi, discovering Aotearoa. [Artwork].

Cultural Identity

One of the most important social significance of Hawaiki is its impact on individuals' cultural identity and their understanding of Māoridom. Sir Toby Curtis, Te Arawa Kaumatua, mentions the obvious significance that Hawaiki holds as a place of origin and belonging to Māori. "[Hawaiki] is important. We want to know where we came from." Sir Toby Curtis' quote highlights the natural curiosity of Māori about their origins, considering Māori culture puts much importance into remembering and continuing whakapapa. This natrually supports the significance of defining a physical Hawaiki for Māori.

An evidence of this curiosity is TVNZ's docuseries Origins (2020), which is hosted by Scotty Morrison, a well-known local indigenous academic, writier and boardcaster. Through this series, Morrison arrives at destinations within and outside of Aotearoa to determine the Hawaiki, the origins of Māori. Audiences are able to feel the personal sentiments and significance that Morrison experienced at these locations with great connection to Hawaiki in the docuseries. The docuseries is important, both as an accessible, educational, indigenous-led outlet for Māori to learn about their roots and culture, but also as a symbol of the growing aspiration to define a Hawaiki for a physical place of belonging for Māori.

Joel Haines (2021, August 8). Origins Promo [Video]. YouTube.

Te Karere TVNZ (2020, September 15). New show explores the origins of Māori [Video]. YouTube.

The desire to gain knowledge on Hawaiki amongst Māori may have rised with the hope to regain the Māori identities that many have lost due to circumstances within their environment which prevented them from interacting with Māori traditions. Matt, a "My family carried so much generational trauma from colonisation, and we always felt ashamed of our roots [...] Ever since I started learning more about my own history, about things like Hawaiki and my whakapapa, it was like a spiritual awakening. I felt more in touch with who I am and where I came from [...] And since [looking back into family history and Māori roots], I feel like I've released my own family from that generational trauma as well, from their own internalised racism."

Matt's journey about learning about Hawaiki and his whakapapa shows how for Matt, this significant spiritual connection with Hawaiki is healing the trauma left behind from the cultural oppression that colonisation forced on many generations of his whānau. Learning and and referencing to Hawaiki is a reintroduction to the histories and tradition many Māori never got to learn about is significant as Hawaiki is a chance to reconnect with their cultural identity as a Māori person. This proves the strong spiritual role that Hawaiki has, not only for Māori understanding of their traditions, but also as an empowering, permenant part of every Māori, an ideal that connects them to their culture despite all the hurt they had to endure during times that Māori traditions and history were condemned by colonial forces.

Connections between the Pacific Islands

Hawaiki is not only an ideology in Māori culture, it is also present throughout multiple Polynesian cultures. It is said that "the concept of 'Hawaiiki' as a homeland from which founding ancestors travelled out to found colonies on newly discovered islands is one that occurs throughout many of the islands of Polynesia" (Kirch and Green, 2001). Through the similarities between Māori and various Polynesian cultures, the significance of Hawaiki is prominent, in Polynesian culture and the interconnection of Māori and their Polynesian origins.

Disney (2023, March 1). Moana: Voice of the Islands [VIdeo]. YouTube.

An example of the connections between Māori and Polynesian cultures is illustrated in the Disney documentary Moana: Voice of the Islands, which follows the crew of famous animation film Moana on their journey learning about Polynesian culture, and how to appropriately portray that in the movie.

Hinano Murphy, a widely-recognized expert in Tahitian cultural history talked about an important proverb in Tahitian culture: "We say in Tahitian “A hi o to Mau’a.” And that means “look at your mountains.” You have to know your mountains." This bares great resemblance to the Māori traditions of referencing your maunga, your mountain, first during your mihi. This one similarity is just one out of many similar aspects between Polynesian cultures, which are related together through their connections with one Hawaiki. In this way, the existence of a physical Hawaiki is significant because it is considered a central location where all Polynesian ancestors and the vibrant cultures of different Polynesian communities derived from.

The shared connection of Hawaiki between Māori and other Polynesian cultures also provides diverse perspecitves for Pacific Islanders to Romy Tavaeari'i and Scotty Morrison had a converstation about how the ancestral relationship between Māori and East Polynesians reveals historical records that were lost due to the effects of colonisation in the Pacific region. This conversation highlights the cultrual significance of Hawaiki and whakapapa history in both Māori and Polynesian culture, how the story of Hawaiki links the people of the Pacific together to a physical Hawaiki of their ancestors.

Romy also mentioned how local oral history of Rangiātea were lost under the attempt of cultural oppression of missionaries when they colonised the island. So this close connection to Hawaiki between the Polynesian cultures shows the long-lasting cultrual significance of Hawaiki, as a modern pathway between Pacific Island cultures to share their stories and reclaim intertwining histories about their heritage and traditions that were lost, not recorded or passed down.

"In your oral traditions, it's said that [Ngatoro-i-rangi] came from [Ra'iatea]. On our side it was lost because it was forbidden to speak of these stories when the missionaries arrived. So, it was obliterated by the missionaries. That's why for us today, that part of the story is gone. But you're coming back to us, to rekindle our connection, so that we become one again"

— Romy Tavaeari'i (2020)

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