Abstract:
Māori adornments embellished the bodies of Māori for many reasons. In addition to beautifying the body, they were symbols of prestige and signaled status. They were worn for protection, ensuring safe passage when journeying through territories, or as mementoes believing the spirit of a loved one continued to live on within the adornment. They were used as marriage dowries and peace offerings, and their power was such that they were known to be the cause of warfare. This thesis takes a journey through Māori oral histories of pūrākau, whakataukī, and waiata to reveal how Māori adornments and adornment practices are discussed. Before the arrival of Pākehā (Europeans) to Aotearoa (New Zealand), Māori successfully transmitted their ancient oral histories for many generations. However, the impacts of colonisation caused a drastic decline of spoken Māori language, and with this, Māori oral histories have also been critically affected. This thesis demonstrates that oral histories remain crucial for insights into Māori culture, identifying a range of Māori adornments, their stories, and their significance. Oral histories of Ngāti Tūwharetoa feature strongly in this thesis, including personal testimonies from people of this region. With various Māori language and cultural restoration strategies implemented in Aotearoa, this thesis positively contributes to te ao Māori. More broadly, by revealing cultural, political, and economic messages embodied in Māori oral histories that refer to adornments, the text here reinforces the ongoing significance of oral histories for Māori.