Our learning journey through Māori traditions continues today with a focus on Pepeha.Pepeha introduces who you are through the places and people who shape you. You don’t start with a job title, you start with your mountain, your river, your ancestors, your home. This approach reflects a Māori worldview where identity lives in connection.<h3 id="1e9e3e2d-fa3b-47ad-8c19-57725aad74d0" data-toc-id="1e9e3e2d-fa3b-47ad-8c19-57725aad74d0" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">In the Māori te ao, identity does not exist in isolation.</h3><img src="https://ezycourse.b-cdn.net/5161/cmk81hfpsaw2h0e9n5cj5clj4.png" containerstyle="width: 100%; height: auto; cursor: pointer; " alt="image"><h3 id="9435671e-a96b-456c-9c76-de8c0d0e8227" data-toc-id="9435671e-a96b-456c-9c76-de8c0d0e8227" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">Pepeha - The Structure of Belonging</h3>Finding your place in the landscape.A Pepeha typically follows a specific sequence of landmarks and lineages. Each line establishes a layer of connection that anchors the speaker to the earth and their community:<ul><li>Maunga (Mountain): Your point of stability and resilience.</li><li>Awa (River) or Moana (Sea): Your source of healing and flow.</li><li>Waka (Canoe): Your ancestral journey and origins.</li><li>Iwi (Tribe) and Hapū (Sub-tribe): Your extended family and collective identity.</li></ul>By acknowledging these elements in one’s self, you share that you don’t exist alone. You are part of a continuous thread of history and ecology.<h3 id="d8085419-b312-4b0b-ac8d-98b1899a8bd0" data-toc-id="d8085419-b312-4b0b-ac8d-98b1899a8bd0" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;">Practicing Reciprocity</h3>A bridge between people.This tradition invites others to find shared connections in the landscape or lineage and shifts the focus from "who am I" to "where do we meet/intersect."I’m filled with gratitude that the Māori knowledge holders share their culture with such generosity. If you want to learn more about the Māori culture, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://kiaora.life">kiaora.life</a>.<h3 id="7dc0ce1e-6615-4450-b6fe-e14282f03756" data-toc-id="7dc0ce1e-6615-4450-b6fe-e14282f03756" style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2;"></h3>

Learn what Pepeha means in Māori culture and how it shapes identity through place, ancestry, and connection. A simple guide to belonging and respect.

Where Do You Come From? 

In the Māori te ao, identity does not exist in isolation.

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Where Do You Come From?

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