Big Blog 2: Māori Culture

 Let’s travel to . . . New Zealand! 

History of New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, it is the southwestern most part of Polynesia. This land is remote and is one of the last sizable territories that is suitable for habitation. You have probably noticed New Zealand before on a map begin that it is the nearest neighbor of Australia. There are overall, 2 main islands: The north and the south. There are also a number of smaller islands throughout the country. The capital of New Zealand is Wellington and it is located in the north island. New Zealand has so much physical diversity, active volcanoes, caves, deep glacier lakes, valleys, beaches, and also snow caps in the Alps! 

People of New Zealand

The population of New Zealand is diverse, it is made up of Europeans, the indigenous Māori, Asians, and non-Māori Pacific Islanders. Typically some New Zealanders are often called Kiwis. The name kiwi comes from a flightless bird that is unique to New Zealand called … you guessed it… the kiwi bird. The Māori people have held the bird to a very high standard and loved the feathers of these birds. Valuable cloaks made from the feathers were often worn by tribal chiefs. The kiwi people love sports and the outdoors and they also enjoy pioneering. 

The Māori Culture

Let’s dive into the Māori culture a bit more. This The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and make up over 14% of the population. The Māori provides a focus for social, cultural, and spiritual life, they want to keep their culture and language alive. Something interesting about the Māori is the Ta moko or the art of tattoo. For the Māori, this is a unique expression of their cultural heritage and identity, it reflects the individuals ancestry. The Māori people define themselves their their tribe (iwi), sub-tribe (hapu), mountain (maunga), or river (awa). Māori also has their own language which is called Māori. The language has a logical structure and has very consistent rules of pronunciation. 

Let’s learn some Māori!

- Kia ora - Hello

- Hei konei ra - See you later

- Nau mai - Welcome

The Haka

If most of you have a TikTok, by now I am sure you have been introduced to the Haka. The Haka was derived from the sun of god Ra who had two wives Hine-raumati (the essence of summer) and Hine-takurua (the essence of winter). Ra and Hine-raumati gave birth to a son, Tanerore. During the summer, the Māori culture can “see the light dancing” and believe that this is Tanerore dancing for his mother, this is reflected by the trembling of the Haka performers hands. 

The meaning of the Haka was originally a war dance, but the word “Haka” means a dance or a song accompanied by a dance. Along with the dance, the Māori people chant. These chants or songs express emotions and tell ancient stories (remind you of something?) Something that you will notice in a Haka dance is the men sticking out their tongue or bulging their eyes, this is to scare the other person or whomever they were going to battle with, the meaning is “my mouth waters and I lick my lips for soon I will taste your flesh” (WOW!) 

Let’s watch some Haka! 

This video I am saving came across my Facebook page about a year ago and I was obsessed with it, and a year later Haka was all over TikTok! Enjoy this Wedding Haka. 

Tradition Māori Music 

Traditional Māori music has been around for a while and has evolved over the years. There are also Māori musical instruments called Taonga Puoro. These musical instruments are seen as the children of families of the gods. The tunes come from the Sky Father Rangi and the musical rhythms come from the Earth Mother, Papatuanuku.

The Melodic instruments are:

Flute Family (Raukatauri - goddess of flute music): koauau (wood or bone), putorino (shaped like moth’s cocoon)

Gourd Instrument Family (Hineputehue - goddess of gourd music): large gourds with tops cute off (big sounds), small ones played with nose, and rhythmic shakers (contain seeds or pebbles).

Trumpets: made from shells and wood. There is the putatara - a signaling trumpet and the pukaea, a wooden trumpet that alters in wartime and is used for announcements or events. 

The Rhythmic instruments are:

Tumutumu: pieces of stone, wood, or bone that are tapped with strikers

Poi: balls of dried flax on string that are swung and tapped

Porotiti & Purerehua: discs on a cord which are spun. These are sometimes used for healing or making rain

 The music of the Māori often uses microtonal intervals. This music is often accompanied by movement as well as other rhythmic elements including foot stamping and thigh slapping. Māori harmonies and tune structures began to evolve and is derived from western music, in particular church music. 

In this video, you will see Rob Thorne use the Taonga Puoro! My personal favorite is the Porotiti, it is just so cool how that sound comes from spinning a disc in the air! 

Before you go!

Before you leave this super interesting blog!, If you don’t watch any of the videos, which it is such an interesting culture so I think you will, please enjoy this TikTok trend that always shows up on my feed and always makes me smile! The Māori culture really appreciate other cultures enjoying their culture and it’s sun beautiful to see other people respect other cultures! 

Sources: 

Becky, Theprofessionalhobo, Jason, Welsh, S., Brown, S., Lara, Nora, Colin, Ryshaf, C., Thompson, K., & Porritt, J. (2020, July 11). Maori culture in New Zealand. The Professional Hobo. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/maori-culture-in-new-zealand/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20typical%20moves,I%20will%20taste%20your%20flesh%E2%80%9D. 

Dingus, G. (2020, January 16). The haka: Poetry in motion: Current by Seabourn. The Haka - The Maori War Dance | Everything to Know | Current by Seabourn. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://current.seabourn.com/article/the-haka-poetry-in-motion 

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). New Zealand. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Zealand 

Guide, N. Z. T. (n.d.). The haka. New Zealand Tourism Guide. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/haka.html 

Music of New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/m/Music_of_New_Zealand.htm 

Māori music - Taonga Pūoro. Christchurch City Libraries. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/maori-music-taonga-puoro/ 

New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. (2021, October 6). Māori musical instruments – Taonga puoro. Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://teara.govt.nz/en/maori-musical-instruments-taonga-puoro 

New Zealand people: 100% pure New Zealand. 100% Pure New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/new-zealand-people/#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20population%20of%20New,%25%20non%2DM%C4%81ori%20Pacific%20Islanders.