Mana, tapu, noa: Maori cultural constructs with medical and psycho-social relevance

This paper discusses three concepts, mana, tapu and noa, that lie at the heart of Maori culture. These concepts are inter-related and concern power and influence, with political (or secular) authority implicit in mana and ritual (or religious) authority determined by tapu and noa. The paper explores their importance for the understanding of the ethnic views on aetiology and management of illness, the mechanisms of social organization and control, and the behaviour of individuals. Although the belief in these concepts exists in only an attenuated form in modern Maori society, their importance becomes obvious to any psychiatrist or physician working with Maori patients.