0 very important and not allowed to be touched or changed, according to the beliefs of the Maoris (= one of the original people of New Zealand):
The Europeans were free to go anywhere, except places which were tapu.
The dead were tapu and anyone who touched a dead body became shunned by all.
Her act of assertion would have been regarded as a violation of the tapu of the marae and the tapu of the male.
Not all land was subject to the tapu system; iltizam tax-farming was more commonly applied to non-tapu land.
He was buried at the p, which thus became tapu (sacred) and was abandoned.
Things or places which are tapu must be left alone, and may not be approached or interfered with.
A person, object, or place that is tapu, may not be touched by human contact, in some cases, not even approached.
