Hapū

In Māoridom and New Zealand a hapū ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society".

Definition

As named divisions of Māori iwi (tribes),hapū have membership determined by genealogical descent; a hapū comprises a number of whānau (extended family) groups.

Generally hapū range in size from 350 to 500 persons, although there is no upper limit. A Māori person can belong to or have links to many different hapū.

Pre-history and history

Before the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand the normal day-to-day operating group in Māori society seems to have been the smaller whānau (extended family). By the 1820s Māori had learnt the economic benefit of working in larger groups - especially when it came to trading with ships. The larger hapū could work more effectively to produce surplus flax, potatoes, smoked heads and pigs in exchange for blankets, tobacco, axes and trade muskets. In warfare the hapū operated as the standard grouping for warriors during the period of the Musket Wars (1807-1842). Hapū would unite politically under their own chief, to form much larger armies of up to several thousand warriors, although it was common for hapū to retain independence within the larger group.