The first thing Americans will recognize when visiting New Zealand is how integrated the indigenous Maori culture and people are into their societal norms. This is opposed to how historical events in the U.S. led to isolation of our indigenous Native American people into specific geographic regions or reservations throughout the country. Most things here in New Zealand have both a Maori name and a Pakaha (New Zealanders of European descent) name which makes for confusion until you understand the tradition. At the risk of a history lesson in this article, I will provide some basic facts and observations about the culture from my perspective.
Polynesian explorers (canoe voyagers) reached New Zealand between 1250-1300 with expansion and settlement occurring over the following centuries from which the Maori culture evolved. They established separate tribes, built villages, hunted, fished, traded, developed agriculture, arts, weaponry and kept a detailed oral history. Their religious beliefs originated in mythology. The British Colonists arrived in the 1800’s with immigration proceeding rapidly. They brought their ways and influenced the Maori people in many, meaningful and not so meaningful, ways. This wave of immigration along with a low life expectancy of the Maori people led to their minority status by 1930. Today, they represent approximately 15% of New Zealand’s population and many citizens prefer to minimize ethnic divisions by simply calling themselves Kiwis.
Their lifestyle, even today, puts emphasis on both the land and sea along with tribal and/or family gatherings. Their language evolved from numerous island roots and there is a move toward increasing use of the language among today’s Maori youth. Historically, the Maori people practiced the art of using facial tattoos (moko) which represented tribal affiliation, life milestones and social status. Recently, there has been resurgence in the practice as a form of cultural identity. Cultural arts and skills, that remain important today, include wood carving, weaving from natural plant materials along with haka and poi which are different forms of dance. The annual Pacifica festival honors Pacific Island heritage and is attended by thousands from around the Southern Hemisphere and beyond.
New Zealand has lovely modern museums where the Maori culture is well profiled. Of particular interest are the many well preserved detailed wood carvings which were used as community building doors or entry panels. They are steeped in mythological meaning which is difficult for westerners to comprehend. We have also viewed many beautiful old greenstone carved cord necklaces, which again represent mythology and/or spiritual beliefs with modern day interpretive knockoffs available for the tourists. Many old carved weapons, tools and natural reed/grass woven skirts and cloaks are also on display in the museums. The museums also do a great job of describing the immigration of the first European settlers and their early years adjusting to new lives in New Zealand.
In closing, I enjoyed a museum wall quote, allegedly from the wife of an early Polynesian voyager named Kupe who exclaimed upon first viewing New Zealand from the water that it resembled “a cloud, a white cloud, a long white cloud.” The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, whose popular meaning today remains “a long white cloud.”