Story: Māori manners and social behaviour – Ngā mahi tika

Tangi, Coromandel, 1905

Tangi, Coromandel, 1905

A diverse group of mourners is attending this tangi (funeral) at Manaia, Coromandel, in 1905. The immediate family of the deceased (known as the whānau pani) sit in the porch of the meeting house alongside the coffin, which is draped with fine cloaks. A tangi such as this might be attended by mourners from a wide area, and last for several days. It not only allows  the mourners to express their grief, but has the symbolic purpose of enabling the wairua (spirit) of the deceased to depart appropriately. 

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, W. H. Field Collection
Reference: 1/2-115915-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Māori manners and social behaviour – Ngā mahi tika - Tangi, birth and modern-day custom', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/41185/tangi-coromandel-1905 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 5 Sep 2013