Traditional M Ā Ori 's Environmental Ethic

For Indigenous people, culture, family, kinship and connections to the land and spirituality are very important.

A great sense of trust supports this mutual ‘give-take’ relationship. ‘If you take care of country, country will take care of you.’ These beliefs are totemist and animist, which basically means Aboriginals perceive all natural objects to possess a spirit or soul. While totems are quite significant within Aboriginal culture as they act as symbols in a system of beliefs, signifying a relationship between an individual or group and an animal or plant. Thus, creating a link between the human, natural and supernatural worlds. As the word ‘totem’ comes from a Native American language where it represents group membership; and literally means is ‘he/she/it is a relative of mine’.

Religious beliefs varied between tribes, but there was a widespread belief in a Great Spirit who created the earth, and who pervaded everything. The constitution of the Iroquois stated every time assembly is held, “ they shall make an address and offer thanks to the earth, to the streams of water, to the animals”. Native American believe everything on earth was given by the Mother Earth, so they must pay respect to their surroundings. In Natives’ culture, there is no such thing of I am first because I am this because they are all relying on one another to sustain life. According to the Digital History, Native American lifestyle was “ free from all the traditional constraints of civilized life-- such as private property or family bonds” . The natives had never of a thought of themselves as owners. They believed that everything on earth was gifted by the Mother Earth, which explains why Indians have a great respect for nature. This concept has proven to us that these Native American were not self- centered. They don’t take everything for granted. They appreciated every little thing around

According to Deborah McGregor, the term “environment” encompasses many different aspects of nature. From a contemporary perspective, the environment means the components of the earth such as: land, all layers of the atmosphere, all organic and inorganic material, and interacting natural systems. However, for indigenous populations, “environment” is more than the surrounding physical attributes of nature. The term “world view” emerges from the intense bond between indigenous populations and the environment. As a result environment also encompasses how one views and experiences the world (McGregor, 2015). Unfortunately, McGregor (2004) finds that traditional ecological knowledge surrounding environmental

The Native American’s way of living was different from the Europeans. They believed that man is ruled by respect and reverence for nature and that nature is an

An innate understanding that all beings on the planet are important for the subsistence of each other is a large part of Indigenous ideology, as well as the respect for the vast ways with which beings on the planet interact; whether they are “animate” or “inanimate”, they are all apart of the “web of relationships” (Battiste & Henderson, 2000, p. 44). Drawing from this view, most Indigenous Peoples believe that every member of a community has their own thoughts, gifts, and knowledge that they are able to contribute to the group. This means that there is also a large appreciation of Reciprocity because all knowledge is good knowledge, and that means all knowledge holds some validity and truth. Dreams, for example, are seen as premonitions and fact. As it happens, Indigenous Peoples place much of their societal values into facets of life that are intangible, such as emotions, spirituality, and mentality. It is for this reason that maintaining healthy and Respect-based Relationships amongst all beings on the planet is such an important part of Indigenous identity. The holistic understanding of the world can only occur if individuals are listening to each other as well as sharing whatever knowledge that they have to share.

Did you know that the Big Island has one of the largest endangered species population in the world? A lot of people around the world don't realize how many of our native species is dying out because of the many invasive species coming into our islands. If we continue to let this happen and don't do something to stop it bad things are gonna start happening to our native Hawaiian lands. “Malama the Aina” is a good phrase to describe what we should do to help. “Malama the Aina” means to take care of the land. Malama means care, and Aina means land, which together means care land. Taking care of the land includes things like pollution, keeping native Hawaiian species safe from invasive species, caring for the land, and even just passing down

Animals and the Earth are very important to the Native American culture. In the creation story, it states that “a giant sea turtle rose up out of the water… If the birds placed the woman on his back, she would be able to rest…” (Iroquois 2). This shows how the Native Americans are forever in the turtles dept., therefore promising to always respect all animals.

Each ethnic group has their own depiction as to how nature should be valued. Native Americans see it as a valuable resource which was not created for them, but they were created for it; therefore, Native Americans tend to respect all aspects of nature. Europeans, however, believe God created this Earth for them to take full advantage of it. The Native American point of view is shown through two texts entitled “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and “The Powwow at the End of the World.”

Most indigenous cultures had a profound respect for their environment. They believed that their relationship with nature was very sacred, they believed the earth needed to be treated with dignity and reverence, they believed in harmony with their surroundings. Speaking of indigenous religions, Lewis (1995) wrote,

In addition to the loss of culture and language for indigenous people, they are also experiencing the loss of their traditional lands and native environment. For indigenous people, much personal and group meaning comes from the natural environment and as a result, their religious practices are deeply rooted in the environment in which they live. When the environment that they rely on is taken away for development, both their cultural and religious identity suffers.

Rich source of misunderstanding between Indian and White Anglo-Saxon cultural analysis is the different attitude of most Native Americans to such concepts as Nature, the environment, and social values.

Steve Hansen was an instructor who informed many students in Wisconsin about the importance of renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and earth stewardship. His creativity, energy, and compassion inspired many to become better people. The Steve Hansen Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to honor his spirit and memory, and to help the next generation carry on his important work. He lived the “Earth Steward” philosophy of making ways of global change from a local-to-global scales to improve ecosystem strength and individual well being. His belief in this global reasoning inspired other students and adults around him to strive to live by this philosophy and make the world a better place. He endured to teach others about the

Between 1642 and prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, many European traders and missionaries arrived, bringing changes for Māori. They impacted the Māori society and introduced many new things to the Māori like pigs, muskets, tobacco and alcohol. Missionaries also influenced Māori and introduced Māori to Christianity and to the written language. Europeans changed the lifestyle of Māori, civilised Māori and taught them farming skills and new types of agricultural cultivation.

Throughout New Zealand history, historical roots have played a significant role in the development of modern Aotearoa New Zealand. The historical past has shaped various forms of present social dimensions within the nation today. This essay intends to discuss the controversial racial inequality in regards to the relationship between Maori and Pakeha within contemporary New Zealand society. This essay will explore two readings; “Plunder in the Promised Land: Māori Land Alienation and the Genesis of Capitalism in Aotearoa New Zealand” by Wynyard, Matthew and “Stereotypical Construction of the Maori ‘Race’ in the Media” by Wall, Melanie. This essay will also further discuss a brief summary on my personal reflection