tangata whenua definition
Tangata whenua (. [ËtaÅata ËfÉnÊ.a]) is a MÄori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally means people of the land, from tangata, 'people' and whenua 'land'.henua means both land and placenta (again referencing Williams, who lists five definitions). Unlike European thought where people own land, in MÄori the land is regarded as a mother to the people. The relationship to land is not dissimilar to that of the foetus to the placenta.