Making Tipuna

Abstract

Cultures across the globe mourn death and those who pass. Being socially connected and interrelated makes us human. It gives us purpose and meaning in life. It invigorates and motivates us. However, when someone close to us dies, it disturbs and disrupts. It causes pain. It causes grief. In this paper, we speak about a Maori indigenous understanding of why this is so, and examine those ancient traditional rituals left to us by our ancestors and required of us at such times. We are particularly interested in the practices and processes we engage in that facilitate the transformation of the deceased from a life lived to the status of tipuna or ancestor. Bringing these practices to the fore and framing a rationale for them enables a clearer understanding of the nature of grief and the place of those passed in the lives of those who remain. No one ever really gets over grief. Ever. We just learn to live a life where we are not so overwhelmed or debilitated by griefs presence, and, those we love have a continuing role and function to play in how we live our life journeys.