Tapu is the strongest force in Māori 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, and
the two main types of tapu were private and public. Private tapu concerned
individuals, and public tapu concerned communities.
In earlier times, tribal members of a higher rank would not touch objects
which belonged to members of a lower rank. This was considered "pollution".
Similarly, persons of a lower rank could not touch the belongings of a highborn
person. Death was the penalty.
