Maori Attitude Differs

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31975, 30 April 1969, Page 26

Maori Attitude Differs

i.v z ?re«» anoctoHont u-fr r ÜbLUNUItB. April 29. 4, .Wam attitudes toward illegitimacy and

extra-marital relations are still conditioned by the nature of pre-Euro-pean society, although this influence must decrease as time goes on according to the report on illegitimate births in New Zealand. A statement prepared by the Secretary for Maori and , Island Affairs (Mr J. M McEwen) contained in the report. said there was no Maori stigma on illegitimate children and even today they in-

I herited land in the same way! as legitimate children. There was no problem in disposing of illegitimate children as the grandparents Lor other relations would be 1 happy to take them, s Possibly after an immedi- - ate wrathful outburst the girl's parents would accept • the situation and everyone I would settle down. These attitudes were carried over into post-European II society although partly t screened by mission teachj ings. It was only in quite recent years that any real problem had arisen. v The disintegration of Maori j communities and the migration of young people to the j. cities had been responsible lj for a change of ideas. ]. Many young Maori women b who had illegitimate children - in the cities reacted in the same way as some of their European sisters. They were reluctant to tell their parents what had happened and the child became an unwanted baby, left to the care of the State. It was also more difficult for Maori families living in an urban situation to take re-

sponsibility for illegitimate grandchildren. The report said there were still quite a number of Maoris who saw it as perfectly proper for the husband of a childless wife to contract another liaison for the purpose of producing a child. A formal divorce was unknown to Maori society and it was apparent that even today it was looked on as a quite superfluous European practice Several prominent Maoris consulted could not recollect one case of divorce between two Maoris, although they had heard of cases when one of the partners was not a Maori.

Normally, if a marriage was unsuccessful the parties simply separated and took other partners. Any subsequent children were thus illegitimate, the report said. Though birth statistics suggested that Maori women were using oral contraceptives, other forms of contraceptives were said to be gen-| erally held in abhorrence by Maoris.

This again must be a contributory factor to the high rate of illegitimacy.