Maori concept of kaitiakitanga

Kaitiakitanga: Guardianship of All our Relations.

For Maori, protecting the environment takes on another dimension; they are the kaitiaki of their land. This Maori concept of kaitiakitanga should inspire anyone who is interested in sustainability. But to really understand the meaning of this word, one must understand the holistic world view of the Maori. For them all is interrelated: the divine and the human, the living and the inanimate. It is impossible for me to describe their vision in its fullness within these few lines, and I certainly don't claim to do it on their behalf, but I will all the same try to tell you how I understand that concept of kaitiakitanga after three months in New Zealand. We must first go back to their founding myths, but here I should make a point. The Maori I met don't like anyone referring to their gods using the word “myth”. Speech originates in Io, the supreme god, and the Maori consider that their history was told to them through oral transmission since the beginning of times.

Toi tu te Whenua, whatungarongaro te Tangata.
Ma te Whenua me te Wahine, ka ora ai te Tangata.
Toi tu te Mana, toi tu te Whenua

- observations of tourist to New Zealand's indigenous people

(taken from Mereana Taki's FACEBOOK page)