Utu (Māori concept)

Utu is a Māori concept of reciprocation or balance.

To retain mana, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response, hence utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds, and the seeking of revenge.

Utu is one of the key principles of the constitutional tradition of Māori along with whanaungatanga (the centrality of relationships), mana and tapu/noa (the recognition of the spiritual dimension). Along with equivalent traditions in other Indigenous communities, it has also been cited as an influence in attempts to introduce restorative justice into the criminal justice systems both in New Zealand and elswhere.

Utu can also be used in reference to monetary repayments, paying or repaying.

The New Zealand Māori word utu is equivalent to the Cook Islands Māori word 'utuutu. The meaning thereof is to feed an orphaned child. Put directly, the symbol of the orphaned child is that the child is nothing to you. Note that the concept of "the nothing" relates to the mythological understanding that all are born from Te Kore: the Great Nothing. In effect, the orphaned child is Te Kore. And we are all that orphaned child. As a sidebar, the concept of the orphaned child diffusely relates to stories like the Lost Tribes of Israel. That is to say that the children of God (or Te Kore) are lost and orphaned. But, that is just a sidebar.

Now, the basic understanding of utu ('utuutu) is this: what you feed, you will grow. Rather, what you feed the orphaned child is how the child will grow. If he is not fed, he dies. If he is fed love, the child grows to be loving. If he is fed hatred, the child grows to be hateful - and so forth. To the enlightened mind, utu really is the law of karma, cause and effect, Newton's Third Law or knock, and it shall be opened unto you. As Quince and Houghton better summarise: utu stipulates that every action or inaction has an equal or opposite reaction. To that end, it goes without saying that what you feed your mind is what you will grow into. The conscious consumption of knowledge is therefore just as important as the conscious consumption of food and water: je pense donc je suis. For completeness, the concept of utu advances that every act or thought is mirrored in reciprocity.

Cultural references

 * Utu, a 1983 New Zealand film loosely based on events from Te Kooti's War
 * "Amazon's "one-click" patent reconsidered" - a modern example of the term's use within New Zealand society