Indigenous Māori Notions Of Consciousness, Soul, and Spirit

Māori knowledge systems contain understandings of consciousness, soul, and spirit, though no single Māori words directly translate these English concepts. Despite ongoing colonization, these knowledges persist as essential to Māori views of everyday life and reality. The article outlines Māori socio-historical context and cosmogony, then discusses popularized interpretations of consciousness, soul, and spirit from an Indigenous Māori perspective, emphasizing the complexity of translation. The authors present a brief overview rather than an exhaustive account.

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Abstract

The Indigenous Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand have a knowledge system embedded with understandings related to consciousness, soul, and spirit. Although the effects of colonization are vast and ongoing, these knowledges have not been completely lost, and endure as an essential part of Māori comprehensions about the nature of everyday life and reality. We provide an overview of the socio-historical context of Māori, before briefly summarizing Māori cosmogony. We then discuss some of the more popularized ways the constructs of consciousness, soul, and spirit are interpreted from an Indigenous Māori perspective, while importantly highlighting that there are no single words in the Māori language that readily translate to these concepts, making the task of elucidating what the terms mean for Māori somewhat complex. Our articulations are intended as a brief overview, rather than an extensive extrapolation.