Doing the tangi
The Maoris in New Zealand struggle with rising suicide numbers, and now there’s an initiative that would ban traditional funerals in the case of people who take their own lives.
From Stuff.co.nz:
Under the plan, the families of young people who commit suicide would be offered a brief low-key tangi, without the grand speeches, catering, marae stay and extensive iwi visits of a multi-day traditional tangi.
Araiteuru Marae chairman Tom Duff said the move was one of a raft of measures – including hui, youth workshops and mentoring – being considered in response to an upsurge in Maori youth suicides nationwide.
I don’t know the meanings of the words “tangi,” “marae,” “iwi” or “hui,” but I suspect banning them will only hurt families trying to work through the grieving process.
liz | 1:37 PM | Uncategorized
While the suicide rates for Maori are higher than for other races, suicide is not only a Maori problem in NZ the rate for all young people is very high (2003 stats for OCED countries: sixth highest for males and forth highest for females).
Rough translations:
tangi – funeral services lasting over several days
marae – Maori community meeting house
iwi – tribal group/members
hui – formal meeting (can last days) where issues important to the iwi are discussed
And yes, I also believe that restricting the traditional customs that surround a death will only make it more difficult for the ones left behind.
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