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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE March 12, 2008
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| December 29, 2007 |
Auckland, New Zealand – Experiencing the Unique Maori Culture of Aotearoa |
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| Participants enjoyed an elaborate traditional welcome ceremony at Te Puea Marae in South Auckland |
A large group of Peace Boat participants received a warm, elaborate welcome from local Maori when Peace Boat called into Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand). As part of a cultural exchange program, participants visited Te Puea Marae in the south of the city and were welcomed onto the marae (meeting house) by Waatara Black, a respected elder who grew up in the region. During the karanga, when the oncoming visitors identify themselves and their ancestors, women walked in front which is a sign that the group was coming in peace. The men on the marae then confronted the participants with a wero, or challenge to see if the outsiders were really coming in peace. The powerful tribal dance ended when they placed a fern in front of participants. To signal their peaceful intentions, the most senior member of the oncoming group accepts the fern, and in this case it was guest educator and former mayor of Hiroshima, Hiraoka Takashi who accepted it. The last stage in the ceremony is hongi, in which both parties pressed noses together as a sign of mutual respect and acceptance. |
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Lunch from the Earth: the hangi was how Polynesian societies typically cooked their food, but today it is used only for large gatherings or special occasions |
After being accepted onto the marae, participants then experienced an unusual kind of lunch – a hangi. This is a method in which food is cooked in a pit in the ground lined with hot rocks and covered with large leaves or sacks. This is common to other Polynesian societies such as Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Smoke billowed out of the pit as the men heaved the large quantities of pork, chicken, beef, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin from the ground. Back inside the marae, Ms Black told participants, ‘now we must sing for our food to acknowledge the workers who prepared it.’ Those in the kitchen happily received a short song about faith, hope and sharing what you have in a positive way, and then participants heartily ate their unusual yet delicious lunch. |
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Waatara Black shows a poster which depicts how the Otuataua Stonefields used to look when thousands of Maori lived there two hundred years ago |
The group then went on a short excursion to the sacred Otuataua Stonefields, a place that for 800 years, and until 150 years ago, was a thriving community of thousands of Maori. In addition to being a burial ground, there is also evidence of hangi pits and stone walls that marked borders between huts. Small dents in the higher peaks of the surrounding hills indicate that those areas were used as fortifications. It is one of the most historically significant archaeological sites left in the South Pacific and has been an important site for archaeologists in determining the history and society of the people who lived there before they moved or were forced off the land by the British government during colonization. |
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| Participants wander around the sacred area where there are burial grounds, old hangi pits and fortifications |
As participants walked around, in awe of the clean air and rugged scenery, Ms Black gathered everybody together. ‘I’m very happy to bring you here because this is a very special place to us. When we give birth to babies, we bury the afterbirth and umbilical cord in the soil. We have been doing that practice for time immemorial. That is the thing that ties us culturally and spiritually to the land,’ she explained. Unfortunately in the 1930s, the Auckland City Council turned the surrounding headlands into a sewage pond which killed off the people’s seafood supply. This had a negative impact on people living in the area as well as on the environment. ‘You don’t put human waste in the food bowl,’ stated Ms Black. ‘We have been fighting it and finally, in 2005 we won a court ruling and it has been taken away. Still, it will be another ten years before we can take our food from there again,’ she added. |
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| Participants learnt how to make poi as part of a series of workshops given by Maori culture group Te Taitonga |
With a new found understanding and respect for the connection that Maori have to the land, forest, and water, participants went back to the marae to participate in several workshops given by Maori culture group Te Taitonga. Inside the marae, Maori language and songs were taught, and soon enough, participants were able to count to ten. Outside, there was a poi making workshop in which participants made the accessory for dancing and singing from strands of wool, cotton wool and plastic bags. Traditionally, this is used by women during ceremonies and special occasions. In the last workshop, participants learnt how to do Rako (warrior training), and using a long wooden spear-like stick, the skills of speed, hand-eye coordination and reflex were taught. |
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| A lesson in coordination: participants try to sing, dance and correctly use their poi all at the same time |
A day of immersion in Maori culture proved to be rewarding for participants who enjoyed the elaborate rituals and the uniqueness of the culture which values both a sense of close-knit community and a spiritual relationship with nature. Damon Heke, a member of Te Taitonga and Maori language teacher was excited to share his culture with the participants. ‘We were so excited about this visit, and had been preparing for months. We hope it was a special experience.’ Despite the many problems faced by Maori, the pride they take in their culture and heritage has been instrumental in insuring that it is shared with the world. According to Mr Heke, there is a high demand for Maori language and culture learning. ‘It’s really amazing for me to be a Maori teacher and teach people from all walks of life, all nationalities. That signals that more and more people want to really know about Maori culture,’ he said. |
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