Kāinga


A kāinga is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important to the well-defended pā.

Description

Kāinga were generally unfortified or only lightly fortified, as opposed to the well-defended pā. They were generally coastal, and often found near to a river mouth. The settlement was generally occupied my members of one hapū, which would identify itself with the nearest mountain and river.
Kāinga were often regarded as only semi-permanent settlements, and they were often abandoned. Reasons for abandonment included invasion by other iwi or resource shortages. Traditionally, Māori were often semi-nomadic, with entire communities moving at harvest or to hunt, using the kāinga as a stable home base. An entire settlement could be declared tapu on the death of a tribal elder, with its inhabitants moving to a new location nearby. Takapūneke near present-day Akaroa, for example, was subject to a massacre in 1830. Survivors mostly lived in nearby Ōnuku and Takapūneke having been declared a sacred site, it was avoided by the local hapu for over 100 years.
When European whalers arrived in New Zealand and established bases, kāinga would often shift to near the newcomers so that trading would be easier.

Modern use of the word

In modern Māori, kāinga is the word for "home".