Story creation notes: Tikanga

My own comic, Ōtea, is an original story that is built upon the bedrock of Māori stories and traditions. As I wrote the first two parts of Ōtea: Rock of Ages, elements of the plot and themes emerged from the application of cultural principles (tikanga). 

Tikanga can be thought of as a set of rules, protocols for living which abound in all folklore and mythology. For example, in The Hobbit, trolls must be underground before sunrise, lest they turn to stone, but this is an old rule from Northern European legend, that Tolkien did not invent, but made use of as an important plot point. As I wrote and illustrated Ōtea, tikanga provided rules for the development of story, allowing characters to act in accordance with their nature, and providing clues for solving plot problems. 

In the Māori belief system, lizards, green geckos in particular , were thought to be omens of evil. In The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Māori Myth & Legend, Margaret Orbell notes: “Green geckos were especially dreaded when they lifted their heads and emitted chattering sounds thought to be laughter. This was a terrible omen” (p. 154).  Mokokata, the green gecko of Ōtea, was named directly from this belief: moko meaning lizard, and kata (or kakakata) meaning laughter.