Utu (Maori concept)
Encyclopedia
Utu is a Māori concept of reciprocation, or balance.
To retain mana
, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response - hence utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds, and the seeking of revenge.
In contemporary usage, the word is also used to mean 'cost', in the sense of monetary value.
To retain mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response - hence utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds, and the seeking of revenge.
In contemporary usage, the word is also used to mean 'cost', in the sense of monetary value.
Cultural references
- UtuUtu (film)Utu is a 1983 New Zealand movie directed by Geoff Murphy. It starred Anzac Wallace. Utu was reputed to have one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film at the time...
, a 1983 New Zealand movie loosely based on events from Te Kooti's WarTe Kooti's WarTe Kooti's War was one of the New Zealand Wars, the series of conflicts fought between 1845 and 1872 between the Māori and the colonizing European settlers, often referred to as Pākehā. This particular conflict covered most of the East Cape region and the centre of the North Island of New Zealand... - "Amazon's "one-click" patent reconsidered"