Papatuanuku in a Maori Philosophy of Education

Introduction

Maori abstract thought must grapple with the everyday, concrete realities of life (Marsden 1985), and this dual work is initiated and continued by the grounded yet mysterious nature of a primordial entity, Papatuanuku (Earth Mother). Papatuanuku has been attributed with a number of sublime characteristics; one of these is its basis for philosophy itself (Mika 2016). This entry analyses that concept and applies it to a specific, Maori notion of education that turns on the wellbeing of the self. Of particular relevance here is Thrupp and Mika’s (2012) interpretation of the verb “ako” (teach/learn), which corresponds with the foundational wellbeing that is provided by things in the world; moreover, “ako” is critical in its stance, because as Thrupp and Mika argue, it resists foreclosing against the full possibility of things in the world – a full potential that has already been offered by Papatuanuku. Maori philosophical thinking hence involves a strong metaphilosophy as it...