ABSTRACT
Like their forefathers, modern Maoris feel strongly about the land (whenua). What they value is not, however, land in the abstract, but the land they have inherited from their forebears; and they value it mainly for its sentimental and social significance. It is the ‘land of our ancestors’, a legacy bequeathed by a long line of forebears who loved and fought and died for it, and a tangible link with the heroes and happenings of a storied past. Often, it is associated with their own early life, kinsfolk and friends. Even more important, inherited rights in Maori land are bound up with rights of precedence in Maori community life and on the marae . The older generation, in particular, recognize an almost mystical connection between land and personal standing.
