Must Follow Tribal Customs

Te Ao Hou, October 1956, Page 8

Must Follow Tribal Customs The people who are responsible for planning the new system have to think of a number of things. First, naturally, they must think of some form of title which will enable the land to be worked in the best possible way and produce the most. But they must also, as far as possible, plan the new system so that it will fit in, to some extent with the customs of the people and their social organisation. If the change is too great the tribal organisation of the people will break down and the new system simply will not work—or at any rate not for several generations. The way in which a people lives cannot be completely changed overnight. The systems adopted are not necessarily the same in all countries. Because of the different circumstances of land use, different tribal circumstances and customs, relationships between different races, and so on, there is no general and ideal system possible. What may work in, say, Uganda, may by no means suit Papua. Each case has to be worked out by itself for there is no world-wide rule about what is the best form of tenure. The history of Maori land titles is a subject of particular interest to the Maori people on which little has been published in a generally available form. The opinions and conclusions, contained in this article are not to be taken as representing any official viewpoint.