Tapu is the strongest force in Maori life. It has numerous meanings and references. Tapu can be interpreted as "sacred", or defined as "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition", containing a strong imposition of rules and prohibitions. A person, an object or a place, which is tapu, may not be touched by human contact. In some cases, not even approached. A person, object or a place could be made sacred by tapu for a certain time, …showed first 75 words of 1265 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1265 total…from the Wanganui district, wearing a korowai (tag cloak), a tiki around her neck and two huia feathers in her hair, taken between 1891 and 1908 by William Henry Thomas Partington of Wanganui. Collection Record Auckland Star : Negatives (PAColl-3752). Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mätaurangao Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image.<Tab/> <Tab/>