My NZ: Getting a Glimpse of Maori Culture

We are quite aware of New Zealand's bicultural community. The heritage of both Pakeha (peoples of European origin) and indigenous Polynesians (Maori) makes NZ unique. Our first encounter with Maoris and their culture (in Malaysia) was of course the haka (posture dance), as performed during some NZ showcases, also by the All Blacks rugby team. On our arrival at Auckland, it was reassuring to note the many Maoris/Polynesians manning the offices and shops at the airport. (We never saw any original peoples of Australia at all when we were in Perth some years ago).

We know that a museum would be the first place to go to if we want to find out about 'things Maori'; their history and culture, so we went to the Auckland Museum, especially to the He Taonga Maori/Maori Treasures Gallery, to see the rich artifacts that would provide some understanding of the Maori over time.

Auckland (War Memorial) Museum

We pored over the numerous artifacts of both Maori and Pakeha at the vast galleries in the Museum trying to understand how the earliest Polynesian settlers may have come from as far as Southeast Asia in their canoes to settle in Aotearoa, 'land of the long white cloud'. Then the earliest European settlers followed in the steps of Abel Tasman and James Cook.

The Maori have a strong enduring culture in carving and weaving. They made elaborate wharenui (meeting houses) or whare tupuna (ancestor houses), pataka (storehouses) and wharekai (dining rooms). The carvings that adorn these are not only beautiful, but also record ancestry and history. The Maori also made highly decorated prows for their waka hourua (voyaging canoes) and richly engraved posts and even utensils. Pounamu greenstone (jade) were carved for ornaments and amulets (tiki or heitiki) while harakeke (flax) was woven for their kete (kit/basket), piupiu (decorative skirt), and whariki (floor mat). To some extent, these traditions are still being practised.

Inside the whare tupuna (BB 2014)

Pounamu artifacts of the Maori (CNB 2014)

There was a cultural performance at the Museum which we attended. It was a short introduction to Maori dance and music (including the famous haka of course). Later in Rotorua, we immersed ourselves in more Maori culture by visiting the living thermal Maori village of Te Whakarewarewa (this deserves a separate blog post). Then in Wellington, we visited the Te Papa Musuem, New Zealand's National Museaum, with its very fantastic exhibits of more Maori history and culture.

Yikes! I'm about to be beheaded in a museum (BB 2014)

We did not make it to the historic, sacred Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland, but from the exhibits at Te Papa, we know that on 6 February 1840, 40 Maori Chiefs gathered at Waitangi to sign a treaty with representatives of the British Crown, marking the birth of NZ's constitutional history. The Treaty of Waitangi gave the Maori the rights of British subjects in return for ceding sovereignty to the British Queen.

The Treaty of Waitangi exhibit at Te Papa
Museum (CNB 2014)

This post is still very much in progress - I have a lot to learn and research about Maori history and culture.
Ref: Introducing Maori Culture/Don Stafford. Raupo, 2008. Ex Libris CNB 2039