ahi kā

Ahi kā is a Māori concept meaning "burning fires of occupation"—the continuous presence on ancestral land that establishes and maintains rights to it.

Keeping the home fires burning, literally or figuratively, demonstrates ongoing connection to tribal territory.

In New Zealand land law and Māori culture, ahi kā rights come from sustained occupation across generations, not mere legal title: Their ahi kā was never broken despite decades of displacement.