Adam's Adventures in NZ: The Maori, The Brits, and the Wardrobe

After I lost my stick catching game. Maori
facial markings below the cheeks represent
skills in the material world. Most women would
have had the traditional chin tattoos as it
marked them as mothers and carefgivers.

Among many of the activities and trips I took while in New Zealand, I went to the Tamaki Maori Village in Rotorua to learn more about the Maori people (the indigenous people of New Zealand), and their culture. Also, the trip included performances of native singing, dancing, and an all you eat traditional Hangi meal (cooked in the ground). So even though I went for the food I found myself discovering a native people which are more fascinating than any I have encountered.

The Maori (Mar-ee) are of Eastern Polynesian descent. They are very similar in look to native Hawaiians, or native Samoans, but over the centuries of isolation they have developed not only a unique culture and language, but also a very distinct outlook on the world. They call New Zealand, "Aotearoa," which means The Long White Cloud. They are a tribal society, adept at planting, fishing, and the craft of war. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand in the 1700's, initial contact was considered amicable. The Maori generally embraced the arrival of the newcomers as it opened up new opportunities for trade. By 1830, there were estimated to be as much as 2,000 Pakeha (white people) living among the tribes of Maori around New Zealand. Their status often ranged from slaves and prisoners to missionaries and those who simply went native. It was also during this time that the introduction of the musket into tribal warfare upset the balance of power among the Maori people, which came to be known as the Musket Wars and resulted in the utter devastation of several tribes. Also contributing to the reduction of the native people's numbers were the usual gamut of diseases that Europeans carried. Everything from the measles to the common flu killed off almost 50 percent of the Maori people.

In January 1840, the British Crown official annexed New Zealand as a colony, and in February of that same year the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed. This treaty is probably one of the most significant native treaty documents ever signed. First off, there is a dispute over what the treaty itself called for. There are claims that the English version of the treaty called for the Maori to secede the sovereignty of their lands to the British, while the Maori version said nothing of this particular clause. Secondly, the treaty guaranteed the Maori people that they would be able to stay on the lands they currently occupied. Thus, for a while everyone was happy, but with all things of colonialism, the colonists did not abide by the treaty for very long. By the 1860's the British Crown was selling of Maori land to settlers and cattle farmers. This led to the New Zealand Wars, fought between British troops and Maori warriors. in 1862 the Native Land Court was set up to further transfer communal native lands to individual ownership and the Maori found themselves being pushed farther and farther away from their tribal lands. it was after this that the native population began to go into decline, with only a little over 40,000 Maori people remaining by 1896.

However, the Maori, unlike almost any other native culture I have seen, have always had a way of not only retaining their own identity, but of reinventing themselves to not just survive, but thrive. As an example, the reason we call them Maori and not "Natives," "Aboriginals," or other European-esque identifications, is because the Maori themselves agreed upon the name in a pan-tribal way. Maori means "normal," or "ordinary." Thus, in what I find a very ironic twist of colonialism, it is the native people who are identified as the norm while the European colonists are called Pakeha, which basically means "Those White People." Moreover, the Maori people are highly adaptive to western ways. Even as far back as the eighteenth century the Maori began selectively adapting elements of Western society, such as European clothing, food, and even education and architecture. Many Maori made quite a profit off of the Europeans that arrived in their land and by the early 19th century a political party arose in the New Zealand Parliament called the Young Maori Party. Among the members was a young Maori politician named James Carroll which even became acting prime minister for a time. Because of their influence and knowledge of colonial politics they were able to ignite a revitalization of the Maori culture.

Maori dinner cooked traditional Hangi style. In otherwords,
the food is buried underground for hours with hot coals.

During my time in the Maori Village I met several interesting Maori people, including the owner of the village who was more than happy to share a laugh as much as his love for the New Zealand Rugby team (The All Blacks.) Him and his family showed us traditional Maori weaponry, facial markings, dances, building construction, and of course dinner. Our food was cooked in a Hangi (which basically a hole in the ground where the food was placed over smoldering coals for several hours.) Everything from the fish to the lamb was cooked to perfection and the carrots and potatoes were some of the best I think I have ever tasted. The Maori dances and songs were amazing and combined with an acoustic guitar they were hauntingly beautiful at times. I had an amazing time learning about this interesting people. I even got to play a traditional Maori game which was taught to kids to improve their warrior and weapon skills. (I lost)

Yet perhaps, what has impressed me most about the Maori is not so much how they survived, but how they adapted and yet kept a distinctive and amazing cultural identity. Modern Maori not only retain their unique sort of beliefs, but they have adapted those beliefs to take into account modern science, christian religion, and understanding. Their culture has grown with the times, adapting Western ideas to native traditions. Modern Maori live in houses, drive cars, go to work, have pensions, pay taxes, yet they remain distinctly their own people. Some even choose to retain traditional facial tattoos. During World War I and World War II, the New Zealand Army fielded a Maori Battalion, which was said to be made up of some of the fiercest of soldiers on the fields of Europe. Combining ancestral warrior traditions with modern warfare made sure that the 28th New Zealand preformed with distinction in places like Crete, North Africa, and Italy. There was an especially large explosion of Maori culture during the 1960's. As a result both Maori and Pakeha began adopting Maori ideas, language, and tradition. As such New Zealand today is as much made up of Maori culture as it is of Western culture. Any signs you find in New Zealand are written in both English and Maori, sometimes with the Maori coming first. As most Americans know at least a little Spanish, most Kiwi know at least a little Maori, with it being the second most widely-spoken language in the country. All the places you go in New Zealand do not have European names, like Smithtown or Cook Cove, but have Maori names like Rotorua, Lake Tekapo, Te Anu, etc. (I am horrible at pronunciation.)

In the New Zealand Parliament there are seven seats designated for Maori representatives, which are routinely filled by Maori elected in general elections through populace votes. There is even a separate Maori political body, (and while I was in New Zealand the Maori people just elected a new King.) It is common to find Maori in the national spotlight, and several of New Zealand's best Rugby players are Maori (and trust me their is no greater way to a Kiwi's heart than through Rugby.) Most startlingly, during the 1990's the Maori people got the British Crown to officially apologize for breaking the Treaty of Waitangi, and providing over NZ$900 million dollars in settlements for stolen lands. It was the largest settlement ever awarded to a native population and the apology was signed by the queen herself. Queen Elizabeth signed the apology in person and this is not only the first time the sovereign of Britain ever signed such an apology to a native people, but it was the first time Queen Elizabeth ever signed any document in public.

Because of their resiliency and tenacity the population of Maori has surged. To date there are more than 660,000 Maori people in New Zealand which makes up roughly 15% of the nation's population. Maori are everywhere. They are lawyers, doctors, politicians, actors, teachers, shop owners, sports stars, and of course surfers (everyone loves a surfer.)