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Mana, Tapu, Noa: Maori cultural constructs with medical and psycho-social relevance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Perminder S. Sachdev
Perminder S. Sachdev*
Affiliation:
Neuropsychiatric Institute, The Prince Henry Hospital, Little Bay, Sydney, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence. Dr P. S. Sachdev, Neuropsychiatric Institute. The Prince Henry Hospital. PO Box 233, Matraville. NSW 2036. Australia.
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Synopsis

This paper discusses three concepts, mana, tapu and noa, that lie at the heart of Maori culture. These concepts are inter-related and concern power and influence, with political (or secular) authority implicit in mana and ritual (or religious) authority determined by tapu and noa. The paper explores their importance for the understanding of the ethnic views on aetiology and management of illness, the mechanisms of social organization and control, and the behaviour of individuals. Although the belief in these concepts exists in only an attenuated form in modern Maori society, their importance becomes obvious to any psychiatrist or physician working with Maori patients.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , November 1989 , pp. 959 - 969
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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