MODULE: FOUR
Maori Culture
- Introduction:
Māori are the tangata whenua (indigenous people of the land) of New Zealand and their culture is an integral part of New Zealand life.
Maori people define themselves by their iwi (tribe), hapu (sub-tribe), maunga (mountain) and awa (river). Whanau is the name given to family - the term embraces immediate family, in-laws and all those connected by blood ties.
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Traditional carvers also help to keep Maori culture alive by creating intricate works that pay respect to the past. Every piece carved tells a story, which can be read by those who know how. The shape of the heads, position of the body as well as the surface patterns work together to record and remember events.
They can also enjoy a Māori powhiri (welcome), visit local marae (meeting houses), listen to kapa haka (traditional performances of song and dance) and relax in the popular thermal pools. Māori culture forms the basis of New Zealand culture and is the essence of its society(Maori Culture. (2012).
- Stories of Māori creation:
Māori traditions about the creation of the world often describe movement from Te Kore (the nothingness) and Te Pō (the darkness), to Te Ao (the light).
Ranginui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) emerged, and lay together in a close embrace. Their children were born between them and lived in darkness, but conspired and separated their parents by force, allowing light into the world ( Māori Culture and Society, September 2011).
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Kapa Haka, in Maori literally means "Group-Dance" and has a Whakapapa (genealogical heritage) of coming from the God of Haka, named Tanerore, who was the personification of the heat wave.
It has many forms and meanings when it comes to being a form of communication. It both sends a message through performance, the actual physical movements, expressions and music used, and also depending on it's lyrics( Sally E. Owens, 2010).
- Origins of Māori in New Zealand/Aotearoa
Māori tradition acknowledges Kupe as the first Polynesian to discover New Zealand. He chased a great octopus across the ocean in his canoe and killed it at Cook Strait, which lies between the North and South Islands. Kupe then explored the country and named many places. His wife gave this country it‟s Māori name – Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud).
Many Māori traditions tell of subsequent settlers who came from the ancestral Māori homeland of Hawaiki - a special place full of mystical power and regenerating force – the source and origin of life itself.
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They reached this country in a great ocean canoe or waka, explored the land and became the revered ancestors of the tribes that now populate New Zealand.
Scientific evidence shows people first arrived in New Zealand around 1250–1300 AD, coming from East Polynesia in canoes. The Moriori people in the Chatham Islands are believed to have migrated from New Zealand to the islands around 1500.
- Traditional Māori Social
The iwi (tribe) is the largest of the groups that form the traditional structure of Māori society. Each iwi is made up of various hapū (descent groups) which might have up to several hundred members. Each hapū is made up of whānau (extended families).
Whānau included elders, adults, children and grandchildren. Traditionally everyone helped each other, working communally and caring for each other‟s children and the elderly.
These structures have endured despite the strain placed on them through colonisation. These days, although a significant proportion of the Māori population live in cities, modern day tribal organisations continue to work hard to reconnect people with their tribal origins.
- Māori Language Guide
Māori language, or „te reo Māori‟, is an official language of New Zealand. Before European arrival, Māori did not have a written language and all information was transmitted verbally. The survival and day-to-day use of Māori language faces challenges. However, determined efforts maintain and encourage the continued use of the language today.
Maori Technology
- FOOD STORAGE
Much of the food was collected in the warmer months and needed to be preserved for winter. Fish were dried in the sun. The removal of water ensured bacteria could not survive in the flesh. Birds were cooked and placed in gourds sealed in their own fat. Cooking killed any bacteria present and the fat seal prevented contamination by subsequent bacteria. The gourds would be dec- orated with the feathers of whatever bird was inside to label its contents.
Kumara, unable to grow all year round, were stored in rua kumara - low roofed storage pits in the ground. Soil, an effective
- FISHING
Fishing techniques were already well developed throughout Polynesia by the time Maori reached New Zealand. The first settlers brought with them established technologies including nets, hooks, lures, spears, traps and dredges.
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Flax replaced coconut fibres and other plant material to make fishing lines and nets. Paua shell replaced mother of pearl shell on fishing lures to attract fish. Traps were made from flexible branches such as vines or manuka branches.
- Taruke
Taruke were used to catch crayfish. Crayfish would fall through the opening and the flax net at the mouth of the opening prevented them from escaping. They were made from young manuka stems, bent round a supplejack and manuka frame and tied together with flax and vines.
Taruke - crayfish pot.
- HANGI
Hangi are earth ovens that cook food using steam generated by water and heated stones. A fire is started in a pit, using slow burning hard- wood such as manuka, kanuka or puriri. Stones are placed in the fire. These stones are chosen for their ability to hold heat without shattering. Once the fire has burnt out, shellfish (if available) are first placed on the heated stones.
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They release salt water to provide steam and flavour. Mats are lay- ered on next, followed by meat and lastly vegeta- bles. The food was traditionally wrapped in leaves of particular plants to add flavour and prevent drying out. Water is sprinkled over the food to provide steam. Lastly, topsoil covers the hangi to insulate the cooking food and prevent loss of steam.
- HINAKI
Hinaki were used to trap eel (tuna). The entrance of the hinaki narrows like a funnel. Eels could enter the trap by forcing their way through the funnel. Once inside, it was difficult for them to exit the narrow end of the funnel. In the north of the North Island, they were made of the strong flexible branches of mangemange (climbing fern). In the south, mangemange was not avail- able and stronger traps had to be made for swifter flowing rivers. Split aerial roots of kiekie were used.
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- BOILING WATER
Without metal or pottery, Maori did not have the materials to make containers that could be direct- ly heated by fire. Water was boiled by placing stones heated by fire into a vessel filled with water. Wooden tongs were used to transfer the heated stones.
- VESSELS
Hue (gourds), patua (bark baskets) and kumete (carved wooden bowls) were used for storing liq- uids. When ripe, the rind of hue becomes very hard and the inner flesh dries into a spongy matter that adheres to the inside of the gourd. Small stones were placed inside and the vessel shaken to loosen the desiccated flesh from the rind.
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- TA MOKO (TATTOOING)
Uhi, a fine bone comb, was employed to make perforations in the skin. Blood was wiped away with wisps of soft flax fibre and pigment was inserted in the cut groove. Pigment was made from burning kauri gum, resinous heartwood and a wheto (vegetable caterpillar). The resultant soot was moistened into a fine black pigment. When the face was too painful for chewing, the person would be feed finely prepared food through a korere, a carved wooden funnel.
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Reference List
M.Magnusson.The Vikings.Tempus .2003.P212.
Cultigens grown by Māori, Te Ara
http://www.tpk.govt.nz/_documents/rwc/tpk-maoriculturesociety-2011.pdf
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/topic-index/maori-culture/maori-culture_home.cfm
McGlone, Matt S. et al. (2005): An ecological and historical review of bracken (Pteridium esculentum) in New Zealand, and its cultural significance. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 28:165-184.
Ka'ai, T. M., & Higgins, R. (2004). Te ao Māori - Māori world-view. In T. M. Ka'ai, J. C. Moorfield, M. P. J. Reilly, & S. Mosely (Eds.), Ki te whaiao: An introduction to Māori culture and society (pp. 13-25). Auckland. New Zealand: Pearson Education.
http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/site_resources/library/Education/Teachers_Guide/Teacher_Resources_Library/Maori_Education_Kits/Maori_09MaoriTechnology_1_.pdf
http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/culture/maori/
