Cultural Value In Potiki

Patricia Grace is one of New Zealand’s foremost Maori authors. Her novel Potiki displays many aspects of Maori culture. One important conflict in the novel is the different value money has between the tribe (the Tamihana family) and the dollarman. The different value that it has proves to be an important conflict in the novel as it conveys the message of the tribes independence without the large influence of money. This essay will discuss the different value of money by focussing on the different beliefs on what money can buy, the significance of money over the land, and the extent to which money influences their everyday life.

Firstly, both the tribe and the ‘dollarman’ have different beliefs on what money can buy. The tribe believes that …show more content…
The tribe has has large cultural and spiritual connection to the land whereas the ‘dollarman’ believes that the land is only an asset. One example of the tribe’s connection to the land is through existing sites and places such as the wharenui (meeting house) and the urupa (graveyard). These sites house great cultural significance to the tribe. The wharenui is the meeting place, where many generations have walked before, and the Urupa, where those same generations now lie restless. The ‘dollarman’ does not see these as cultural sites and the importance of these sites to the tribe, but rather as a hindrance on his money generating development that must be removed. “There would be no damage. Your hall...would be put on trucks, transported. No damage whatever” These ideas contribute to helping the reader understand the conflict by showing that the money has no value over the tribe's cultural connection to the land. On the contrary, it shows that the ‘dollarman’ believes he can just “transport” or remove the cultural sites on the land and throw “shocking” figures toward the …show more content…
As stated previously, the tribe is largely self sustaining. They require little or no money to survive. On the other hand, as his name suggests, the ‘dollarman’ figuratively and inherently lives off money. “Trenches were made for compost. A good market was found for potatoes and pumpkins… but before the market we had ourselves to provide for” Roimata Tamihana tells the reader of their “chosen poverty”. “...there would be profits… where the dead are buried… these were the places wanted by the money men… they would pay thousands of dollars to have”. Evidently, this helps the reader understand the conflict by outlining the reasons why the tribe does not need the large influence of money. Additionally, it shows the ‘dollarman’ believes that the tribe needs considerable increases in wealth because his perception is that money is the ‘be all and end all’ of