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"Papatuanuku is the Earth Mother, combining all elements of the
planet; her immediate form is whenua, the land. Continuing the organic metaphor, whenua is also the Maori word for the placenta, which is promptly buried with simple ritual after birth. The practice is still observed today, even in cities; thus the word itself reflects the relationship between people and the land, clearly stated in the concept of tangata whenua. To be tangata whenua is to claim stewardship and economic use and settlement of a defined area. The words translate as 'people of the land', people whose afterbirth is buried there..." (Starzecka) |