Tangihangi

Tangi, is a traditional Māori funeral rite held on a marae.While still widely practised, it is not universally observed in modern times.

Each iwi (tribe/nation) differs on how they honour those who pass. Tangihanga generally take three days with burial on the third day. From the moment of death, the tūpāpaku (body of the deceased) is rarely alone.The tūpāpaku is transported (usually from a hospital and via a funeral home) to the marae. There they are welcomed with a pōwhiri and will lie in state for at least two nights, usually in an open coffin, in the wharenui.Throughout the tangihanga, the tūpāpaku is flanked by the whānau pani (the bereaved family).Visitors are welcomed and speeches are made. After the body is buried at the urupā (cemetery) a minister or tohunga walks through the dead person’s home to remove the tapu of death