mana whenua
1. (noun) territorial rights, power from the land, authority over land or territory, jurisdiction over land or territory - power associated with possession and occupation of tribal land. The tribe's history and legends are based in the lands they have occupied over generations and the land provides the sustenance for the people and to provide hospitality for guests.
(Te Kōhure Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 6;)
Ko au nei te mōrehu kaumātua o roto o taua hapū e ora nei, nō Ngāti Hikawera hoki te mana whenua e mau nei ki a mātau i roto i ēnei rā (TPH 6/8/1904:4). / I am the surviving elder of that subtribe and Ngāti Hikawera also has authority over the land which we hold today.
See also mana
