As seen from the charts, the population of New Zealand is made up of Europeans, Maoris, Asians and others. Over the years, this diverse range of race and culture has turned New Zealand into a multi cultural country. I will be zooming into the natives of New Zealand, the Maoris, and explain their culture and traditions.
Culture
The Maoris are the aborigines of New Zealand, arriving in the 10th Century AD. They are by nature a warrior culture, similar to that of the Spartans in Greece. The languages they speak are English, New Zealand Sign Language and te reo Maori (Maori Language). Te reo was ironically lesser spoken in the mid 20th Century. Concerns that Te Reo would die off, sparked off a revival initiative of the language. The success of the initiative can be seen today as more than a quarter of Maori ethnicity speak and understand Te Reo. Some of the common Maori terms are:
Aboriginals – Tangata Whenua
Hello/Greetings – Kia Ora
Goodbye – Haere Ra
Traditions
The Maori People sustain their culture and traditions through stories, songs, dance and art. One of their famous song dances is the world-famous haka which is a ceremonial war dance originally used by warriors for various reasons such as to scare off enemies and warm up before battle.
The Maori art include the traditional costume, ancient statues and the Moko. The traditional costume of the Maori looks inevitably tribal, and it was worn to show unity of a tribe. The ancient statues were carved with the same purpose of a photograph, which is to remember ancestors. Different tribes of Maoris have their unique design of their statue.
Lastly, the Moko, which is basically tattoos, is an art form for Maoris to scare off their opponents in battle. In the Maori culture, the ugliest man would be deemed as the most handsome man as he is able to scare off his opponents. Moko is used to enhance one’s ‘beauty’.
The following photos and video would explain and show you more of the Maori traditions.
