The indigenous people of New Zealand are called "Maori." Since arriving
here in the 18th century, Europeans have developed a lot of theories of who the
Maori are and where they originally came from. One popular theory even
suggested that the Maori were one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. But more
recent research using DNA coding from the kiore, or rats that first
arrived with the Maori, as well as linguistic and other methods, has established
that the Maori arrived here from Polynesia around 700 CE. The Maori's own
oral tradition has them arriving here in seven ocean going canoes, and the most
recent modern research has established that the Maori did arrive here on such
canoes at the end of the great migration of Polynesian people that stretched all
the way to Easter Island in the east. But it seems more likely that they
arrived over some period of time, rather than all at once in a flotilla.
Imagine the challenge of navigating thousands of miles of open ocean, using
nothing but the wind, currents and cloud patterns to navigate, and doing it in
open double-hulled canoes. The picture to the left is courtesy of Te Aurere
at www.teaurere.co.nz, a project
to build and sail such a canoe using traditional navigation. Some had theorized that the first settlers
arrived here by accident, so daunting was the thought of deliberate navigation
and migration. But the facts of weather and geography force a compelling
case that the arrival of enough people to found a genuine colonizing population
had to come in too many canoes to support the "flotsam" theory. Scholars
now believe that explorers found New Zealand at the end of the Polynesian
migrations, returned to Fiji and other main settlements, and colonists who
intended to come and settle here returned in large ocean going canoes.
They brought with them the first new animals in New Zealand in millenia,
including the kiore rats, pigs, and dogs.
They also brought with them the kumara, a kind of sweet potato that
was the staple crop. The abundance of very large ground-nesting birds and
seals also provided a ready source of protein. The Maori were the first of
a long succession of land-abusers in New Zealand. Their over-hunting quickly
pushed the giant Moa bird and other species to extinction, and nearly did the
same to the New Zealand fur seal. They burned off forests to clear land
for planting kumara. But much of the land was only thinly covered in
topsoil and as the forests shrank, the land's fertility gave out quickly.
Land planted in kumara quickly was overtaken by bracken fern. This became
a staple of the Maori diet, tough and starchy. As one area gave out, more
forest was burned, more kumara planted, more bracken fern moved in.
As the
pattern continued and population increased, Maori tribal and family groupings
became more stabilized and different groups established their own areas of
cultivation. The desire for more land pushed groups into conflict.
Maori culture evolved into well established iwi, or tribal groupings,
with further well-defined hapu, or clan and whanau, or family
groupings within them. Warfare between and among groups was common but
with no sides having any particular offensive advantages it was a fairly stable
society. Maori traded widely with one another. Greenstone, or ponamu,
from the South Island, was found throughout the country, for instance.
When Europeans began arriving in numbers in the late 18th and early 19th
century, Maori who came into contact with them were very quick to adopt to the
modern technologies they brought with them. Cloth, metal tools, and
weapons were quickly absorbed into Maori culture. Maori were also quick to
adopt European crops and farming and became the major source of food for the
whalers, sealers and traders who were the first stable European settlers.
Maori also intermarried with Europeans.
Historians estimate that there were about 100,000 Maori here when the first
Europeans arrived. They remained the majority population well into the
19th century. But disease and war, both among Maori and between Maori and
the colonists, cut deeply into their population. It would not be until
well into the 20th century that the Maori population again reached that level.
Maori society centers on the family, and on the extended family groupings
that comprise the different iwis. Chiefly authority flows from genealogy,
enhanced by mana, gained through victory in war, or success in other
ways. Consequently, the ability to trace one's family as far back as
possible is a major facet of Maori culture to this day. Knowing one's
whakapapa, or family heritage, is critical to Maori identity.
If you saw the movie Whale Rider, you saw something of contemporary
life on a marae and the customs that surround them. If you've read Once
Were Warriors, or seen the film, you also have a sense of the problems
plaguing some of the Maori population today.
The role of Maori in today's modern Kiwi society, how their culture is or is
not integrated into everyday Kiwi life, and what degree of assimilation is
desirable are being more hotly debated now in New Zealand than in many years.
At one level, the country has adopted a strong official position of bi-culturalism.
All Government agencies are known by both their English and Maori names, for
instance. The powerful All Blacks rugby team begins each game with a
haka in Maori, and Pakeha as well as Maori chant right along with the team,
whether at home watching on TV in a pub or in the stadium. In a practice
that's been singled out for criticism this year, new Government buildings here
and abroad receive a traditional Maori blessing (while non-Maori religious
blessings are not). Public works require consultation with iwis who are
the traditional custodians of the land. Projects have been redesigned to
avoid offending resident taniwha, or evil sprits dwelling on the site.
These inclusionary practices have come under increasing attack this year,
however, as conservative political figures and many everyday Pakeha declare
they've "had enough" of "PC" behavior and accommodation to Maori culture.
Most Kiwis with several generations of residence likely have both Maori and
Pakeha bloodlines, and no Maori can claim 100 percent Maori whakapapa any
longer, the argument goes. It's time to stop looking backward to an old
culture and look forward to a new, unique Kiwi culture.
Back on the other side, Maori advocates argue that their traditions and
culture predate any brought by Europeans, and the latter should respect and
honor them. Too, they argue, children brought up with a full understanding
of their own culture can more readily integrate into another, majority culture
and succeed better. The USA is hardly immune from similar arguments, from
"English language only" campaigns to other expressions of conflict between
majority and minority cultural views. Things have become even more
complicated as Pacific Island and Asian immigration has grown. The Pacific
Islanders have some cultural affinities with the Maori, but there are so many
centuries of separation between them that they are distinctly different.
As the Island population grows, so too does their expectation of inclusion and
respect.
In spite of all the cultural and political conflict, day to day life in
Wellington as we've observed it, at least, is remarkably equable and free of
overt racism or racial tension. People mix easily. There are loads
of shared cultural icons, starting with the same All Blacks rugby team, whose
mix of Pakeha, Maori and Pacific Island players have been steamrolling all
comers this season, including last year's Rugby World Cup champions from the UK.
Visiting a Marae
Early in February, the Fulbright program arranged for the Axford Fellows, the
American Fulbright Scholars and the Senior Scholars here in New Zealand to spend
two days learning about Maori culture and history. As part of the program
we visited overnight at a marae, or central meeting place of a local
Maori iwi. There is a lot of tradition involved in such a visit.
Strangers must be invited onto the marae, and this process involves women of the
marae describing the background of the host iwi, and the strangers likewise
describing who they are and where they come from. Once this welcome is
completed, the guests can enter the space of the marae and they are treated as
members of the host's extended family until they leave.
To prepare, each of us learned how to introduce ourselves in the Maori
language, in the traditional Maori way. We all learned a traditional song,
as the trading of songs is an important part of the ritual. At the
conclusion of the welcome, members of the marae greeted each of us with a
traditional hongi, or touching of noses that signifies the sharing of
spirit.
The marae is where members would eat together; in some communities I've been
told they still are the communal kitchen and dining area. It is also where
the community lays out its dead, and where ancestors are remembered.
Traditionally this was done through carvings. Today photographs of
deceased members and leaders are also displayed in the marae. The
importance of maraes and their role in Maori communal life has experienced a
strong resurgence in the last 50 years, and the government has in recent years
provided funding to help restore many maraes that had fallen into disrepair.
The one we visited in February is located north of central Wellington in the
Hutt Valley. Its history documents some of the stress and hostility that
Maori have endured at the hands of the Pakeha majority. About 100 acres
was set aside for the local iwi in settlement of other land being sold or
confiscated in the Wellington area. During World War II the government
took over most of it to bivouac American soldiers. At the war's end, the
government did not give back the land. The iwi protested and eventually
gained back control of 10 acres which now makes up the heart of their community.
The picture gallery below will give you some idea of what a traditional marae
looks like. The carvings are of ancestors. In traditional Maori
society, members of the marae know who these figures were, and their inclusion
in the marae gives form to the linkages to earlier generations that are so
critical to the Maori culture.
Entrance to the marae
Carved marae doorway
Exterior carving detail
Inside the marae
Photos of deceased community members, as well as those of Pakeha and other Maori who have been important to the community, are hung high on the back wall.
We slept in this area on foam mats. The communal kitchen is behind the back wall.
Wood carving detail on wall
These elaborate carvings represent different figures in Maori legend and myth, as well as ancestors of the marae's iwi. They include insets of greenstone and paua, or abalone shell.
Painted post along the wall
Woven panel
These woven panels are made from flax and other natural fibers. The patterns are traditional and allegorical.
Carved figure inside the marae
Interior carving
The greenstone paddle is a sign of chieftainship. Showing one's tongue in this kind of fearsome way is a traditional sign of challenge and is used to strike fear in an enemy.
The Fulbright group on the marae
Matariki -- The Maori New Year
The traditional Maori New Year is celebrated around the southern winter
solstice, when the constellation called Matariki -- what we call the Pleides, or
Seven Sisters -- first appears in the southern sky. Te Papa, the National
Museum here in Wellington, had a month-long Matariki celebration featuring song,
dance, lectures and exhibits. A highlight for us was a special dinner at
the museum. It featured a "traditional" menu, tarted up by one of New
Zealand's leading chefs to modern tastes. The dinner was served in the
museum's own marae, a beautiful space on its top floor that is designed to
represent all Kiwis, Maori and Pakeha, with carvings in a striking modern style.
We enjoyed fresh oysters in a ravioli garnished with piko piko, or
fiddlehead ferns, and sauteed scallops. This was followed by hog belly and
muttonbird, finished off with a dreamy custard larded with pohutakawa
honey.
Proving that the world is indeed a small place, one of the other guests at
our 10-person table turned out to be an American student visiting from Sydney.
It took only a few moments of interrogation to establish that she grew up a few
blocks from Barry's high school in Long Island, and around the corner from his
best friend in those days. We refused to allow the realization that we
might have gone to high school with her parents to mar the evening!
We were also treated to performances by a group of students performing
traditional Maori songs and hakas. You can view one of these by
using the links below. You'll need RealPlayer to see the video.
cloud patterns to navigate, and doing it in
open double-hulled canoes. The picture to the left is courtesy of Te Aurere
at www.teaurere.co.nz, a project
to build and sail such a canoe using traditional navigation. Some had theorized that the first settlers
arrived here by accident, so daunting was the thought of deliberate navigation
and migration. But the facts of weather and geography force a compelling
case that the arrival of enough people to found a genuine colonizing population
had to come in too many canoes to support the "flotsam" theory. Scholars
now believe that explorers found New Zealand at the end of the Polynesian
migrations, returned to Fiji and other main settlements, and colonists who
intended to come and settle here returned in large ocean going canoes.
They brought with them the first new animals in New Zealand in millenia,
including the kiore rats, pigs, and dogs. 
bird and other species to extinction, and nearly did the
same to the New Zealand fur seal. They burned off forests to clear land
for planting kumara. But much of the land was only thinly covered in
topsoil and as the forests shrank, the land's fertility gave out quickly.
Land planted in kumara quickly was overtaken by bracken fern. This became
a staple of the Maori diet, tough and starchy. As one area gave out, more
forest was burned, more kumara planted, more bracken fern moved in. 
