Whāngai Hau is the second album in a two part series that revolves around the Maori concept of reciprocity and the ceremony of giving (Whāngai Hau). This second album is light in tone and is is antithetical to Whakaī, the first album in the series.
In Maori culture, all possessions have a spiritual power (hau). Although hau is the literal word for wind, there is a deep spiritual component to the term.
Whangai Hau is a traditional Maori ceremony where gifts are shared.The Maori view the exchange of materials and services as a balanced system. This balance is known as hau ngaaherehere (wind of the forest). Reciprocity is the guiding force between exchange, leaving a lack of social hierarchy and inequality. The hau (spiritual component) of a gift charges the receiver to return the favor, not necessarily to the giver, but to someone within the community in order to maintain balance.
Taken from Stone Age Economics by Marshall Sahlins
