Tulafafo
Among the Tāngata, there is a long tradition of Tulafafo, which roughly translates to 'Outsider Law'. In recent generations it is has been increasingly ignored and treated as outdated, as the Tāngata of northern Atu Motu have engaged more and more with international commerce. Tulafafo is still practiced among the Tāngata who live in the southern territories, who mostly interact with the Mu'o'a.
Tulafafo is a strict set of rules around how any Tāngata may interact with anyone not of their community. Most members of the community are not permitted to speak with outsiders at all, funneling all communication through the Failauga, or speaker. In the strictest interpretations of Tulafafo, Tāngata other than the Failauga are not even supposed to acknowledge the outsider, acting as if they are not present at all, unless the interaction is violent in nature. Visitors to communities that practice strict Tulafafo often feel invisible until they are approached and addressed by the Failauga. Most communities have not adhered to this level of Tulafafo in many generations. More commonly, they are offered silent hospitality while the Failauga is summoned to deal with the outsiders.
Once the Failauga engages with the outsiders, there are specific rules about what may be done, and what must be done. Ritually approved foods are offered, along with a specific greeting in the Tāngatāiki language. If the visitor cannot respond in that language, the greeting is repeated in a number of languages until a common one is found. Technically, there is a specific order for languages to be tried in, but it is more common for the Failauga to choose a second language based on their observations of the visitor. Once a common language is established, the Failauga will identify the purpose of the visit, and then act accordingly. Tulafafo only recognizes a few types of visit as acceptable, and the most common of these is for trade. Visitors who have a more unusual request may find themselves rapidly moved into the ritual termination of the interaction. This can also occur if the visitor breaks one of the rules of Tulafafo - which is quite common, since the Tāngata do not instruct outsiders on those rules. If the interaction is terminated, Tulafafo demands that it cannot be begun again until the sun has risen. At this time, a whole new session of Tulafafo may be initiated. When dealing with communities that practice strict Tulafafo, it can save a lot of time to hire someone skilled in it.
In the northernmost Tāngata communities, the practice of Tulafafo has relaxed significantly. Younger Tāngata see Tulafafo as archaic, and have no patience for it. In the port city of Tauranga, it has been abandoned completely, and commerce there is conducted in much the same way as the rest of the Great Ring. But the southern and rural communities still observe Tulafafo to some extent, and those who visit the Tāngata communities on Motu are sure to encounter it.
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