Park, Geoff

From CollabLandWiki

Whenua – the ecology of placental connection

Park, G. Whenua – the ecology of placental connection. Theatre Country, Victoria University Press 2006, pg 239.

Geoff Park discusses Maori’s profound connection to the earth, and the rituals they perform, e.g. burying placenta which provides an elemental, vital connection to the earth.

He discusses the meaning of whenua, which is a conceptualisation of identity in which the historical relationship between human beings and land is vital.

He then goes on to talk about the loss of meaning when words of an oral culture like Maori are translated into another language like English. Words like Whenua have been translated into the English ‘land’, yet they have so much more meaning.

“An increasing distance from the land has led us to neglect its needs and lose the sense of connection and dependence of which our forbears were so conscious.”

This article gives an explanation of what is needed to be considered when deciding what to use in our scheme. An understanding of what all the meanings of important words are, could make decisions a little easier to make, and make a more informed piece of work. By understanding Maori associations with land, it will make them easier to translate into design.