Ringatu(with long “u”)
I have to make a confession. I am an atheist. However, when I first heard of te Kooti, Maori rebellion leader, and the spiritual cult he founded, named “Ringatu”(with long “u”), I was intrigued. Apparently, it still has followers even today, so its definitely worth looking a little further than our hipster society that sees philosophical religions like Buddhism as the most acceptable way for religion in our times.
Its founder and spiritual leader, te Kooti Arikirangi te Turuki or just te Kooti, was a leader of the Maori rebellion against the European forces. His early life began wild, as after his abusive childhood, he formed a lawless group to be stealing with around the country. During his times in jail, te Kooti intensively studied the Bible and held services twice a day using scriptures and prayers he compiled from Psalms, the book of Joshua and the judges. Using this(and some sleight of hands), he had a crazy cult following him after he left prison. He named his new religious cult “Ringatu” after the gesture of the upraised hand of the local hauhau rituals.
Trustig in this faith, te Kooti led about Maori warriors to war against the European settlers. Claiming the Archangel of war(Michael) had visited him and drawing comparisons between the Maori and the expelled Israelite people, he Was able to convince his people to fight what he identified as the fallen angel, Satan — the European settlers.
A vision that would eventually end up in what would be referred to as “te Kooti’s war”, an armed conflict between te Kooti’s followers and their allies against the New Zealand government and their Maori allies, lasting a good four years.
Te Kooti had a strong influence on his followers, some sources even say that he made his crew throw his own uncle over board because he claimed that his presence was the reason for the bad weather.
His death was just as odd. After the conflict ended because he got in discord with the Maori king because of his debaucherous lifestyle, the New Zealand gave him a bit of land where he was relativley quickly killed in a cart accident.
Crazy, right? Though, while at first glance, the Ringatu cult seems like your average insane Christian sect, the New Zealand Encyclopedia of 1966 draws a completely different picture of them. It’s not fanatically at all and lacks public demonstration(I’m looking at you, Jehova’s witnesses) and is described as “gentle” and “dignified”. Services are held at tribal meeting houses, thus there are very few designated churches(the AfD would certainly be happy). No formal clothing and no articles of faith or written tradition; all chants and prayers are memorised and not written down. And their leader, or “pou Tikanga” is elected very two years(a fraction of most pope’s reign). The current one is Wirangi Pera.
The cult still holds about 16000(!) followers up to this day, mainly Maori people. For the fact that it is basically kind of a watered down version of christianity without much literature surrounding it, this is still healthy enough to be considered a world religion. Well at least in the small world that is New Zealand mind you.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/maori-religious-movements/page-2
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowYest-t1-body-d1-d4-d4.html
