Why “tohungaism” is a great word
TOHUNGAISM — [Noun] The Māori belief system and practices centered on the authority of the tohunga, a priest, healer, and expert in sacred lore. From Māori *tohunga* ('skilled person, priest, expert') + the English suffix *-ism* (denoting a system, principle, or doctrine). Unlike 'Christianity' (a universalizing, introduced faith) or 'Mātauranga Māori' (the encompassing totality of Māori knowledge), *tohungaism* denotes the specific, esoteric authority vested in a trained adept. It is the chant that navigates by star-paths, the ritual incision that binds a carving to its spiritual source, and the whispered diagnosis that finds illness in a broken social bond—a system where knowledge is a solemn, performed charge, bridging the human and ancestral worlds.