Abstract:
This work is to be a comparative investigation of selected aspects of archaic Greek and contemporary Māori mythmaking. I have chosen to examine the importance of the Archaic Greek sanctuary and the contemporary Māori marae complex in the creation of political and cultural identity. I intend to narrow my focus to the role of the earth-connected goddess in such institutions. I want to ask the following questions:
How does each community identify and construct sacred space;
How can such space be related to the growth of the political and cultural identities of those communities;
What is the role of the earth-connected goddess in each community;
in each community how are such earth-connected goddesses used in denoting and creating sacred space and political/cultural identity;
is it possible to ascertain a connection between particular earth-connected goddesses and the establishment of archaic sanctuaries and contemporary marae complexes;
May it therefore be possible to posit a connection between expression and use of the earth-connected goddess in sacred space and the construction of political and cultural identity?
