Jesus in Indigenous Maori Understanding: A Contextual Biblical Interpretation of Jesus, Land, Genealogy, and Identity

Maori theology is done within a framework of Atua (Divine), Whenua (Land) and Tangata (People). The glue that holds this framework together is whakapapa (genealogy) which in Maori thought is the pinnacle of knowledge and ways of knowing. Wayne Te Kaawa explores and analyses this framework and applies it to key passages of the bible concerning the genealogy of Jesus and his relationship to the environment, in particular to the land and to the people. The theme of ’people of the land’ within the biblical text is explored from an ’indigenous people of the land’ perspective. This reveals two things, the indigeneity of Jesus and how Christianity has treated/mistreated indigenous people throughout the world.

Overall, Te Kaawa provides a resource that can add to theological discourse in the academy and beyond by showcasing insights from Maori theological reflection in conversation with western theological reflection.

Wayne te Kaawa lectures in Maori Theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand.