Indigenous People

THE MAORI TRIBE

Have you ever wanted to explore the world?Aren't you curious whats out there other than the things that you normally see everyday?The world is a vast place to explore and to let your senses feel the things you never did.Gaining such experience would be one of a kind and memorable.One of the things that made me well curious would be the Maori tribe in New Zealand.I think its amazing how they preseve their way of living and are able to acheive the same success as the general population of New Zealanders.You should know that are two classes of people that make New Zealand.They are:

a)Pakena are white people whose ancestors lived in Europe
b)Maori are brown people whose ancestors lived in New Zealand for many generations.

Although there are two classes,they are not separated but are all equal New Zealanders.The Maori tribe still resides at North Island.Lifestyles of the Maori people are different from then and now.This happened during the mid 1800's,when Christians and Protestants began to work in New Zealand.By 1840 almost all in the Maori population became Christians.The word maree refers to a piece of land owned in common by a subdivision of the tribe.It is usually used as a meeting place.

In this modern era of fast changes and the new up and coming technology,this mentioned tribe do their best in preserving their old culture and tradition.Maori people define themselves by their:

a)iwi (tribe)

b)hapu (sub-tribe)

c)maunga (mountain)

d)awa (river).

Whanau is the name given to a family.This term embraces immediate family, in-laws and all those that are related ny blood.

Recently,more effort was put in to preserve their culture.At kohanga reo(kindergarden),preschool children are encouraged to speak in Maori. Primary and secondary schools build on this early immersion by including Maori in the curriculum.

Furthermore,marae provides a focus for social, cultural and spiritual life. The term marae describes a communal 'plaza' area that includes a wharenui (meeting house) and wharekai (dining room).

Te Reo Maori - the Maori Language

Kia ora - Hello
Kia ora tatou - Hello everyone
Tena koe - Greetings to you (said to one person)
Tena koutou - Greeting to you all
Haere mai - Welcome
Nau mai - Welcome
Kei te pehea koe? - How's it going?
Kei te pai - Good
Tino pai - Really good
Haere ra - Farewell
Ka kite ano - Until I see you again (Bye)
Hei konei ra - See you later

The famous known tradition of the Maori tribe would be the Haka.This dance is usually seen at rugby matches.It is commonly known as a war dance but in fact it is just a dance accompanied by music.The history of the first use of the haka in the was attributed to the chief Tinirau and to his womenfolk.Tinirau desired revenge for the killing of a pet whale, so he sent a hunting party of women to find the man responsible, an old tohunga(priest) called Kae. The women didn't know what Kae looked like, but they knew he had uneven teeth that overlapped.When the women arrived at Kae's village they performed the haka to force a smile from the men in order to uncover Kae's identity.Finally,Kae was captured and taken back to Tinirau's village where he was killed.So that is how Haka came about.

Learning another's culture is never a waste of time.It is a good practice to be exposed by different culture and traditon.This helps us to adapt to changes quickly.Observing their survival through the course of time,we should respect and learn their culture.Acknowledging a different culture would make us less ignorant and selfish.In a lifetime,we should be exposed to many different things to avoid regret during old age.In the end,just remember that life is short,make it sweet =)