Dress

The traditional Maori culture dresses very distinctively. While the women wear finely woven tops called "piupiu" that are red, white and black. The skirt is made from the flax bush. The women will scrape the patten into the leaves before they dry out, after curling it into a long thin straw shape. After they attach these to a women waistband. Women and sometimes men typically wear headbands that come with a feather. The men also wear piupiu, while greenstone (New Zealand jade) tiki hang around their necks.

Major holidays

The Maori culture celebrates the may Christian holidays as do other New Zealanders. The holidays did not exist in the Maori society before contact with other cultures. Many of the traditional rituals were performed according to the religious calendar and the harvest collection of foodstuffs. Maori was very controversial about New Zealand's national holiday called "Waitangi Day" which is February 6th. This holiday was for the commemorates signing in 1840 of the treaty that was supposed to guarantee their rights and privileges. Maori had taken away the Waitangi Day celebration, making the government cancel the festivities.

Heritage

Maori is best known for their cultural tradition known as the haka. Which is one of the best known dances of Polynesia. This dance is performed by all the blacks (national Rugby team) before each game. This dance is a mixture with a song and is created by clapping hands, stomping feet, and slapping thighs. There is a leader and a chorus that responds to the leader's lead vocal line. The dance is filled with energetic postures that represent aggressiveness. Chanting follows this dance and it often represents the family lines or the exploits of ancestors.

All the blacks (national Rugby team)

Intro/ Index

Welcome to my blog all about the Maori cultural! In this blog there will be information ranging from the history to their cultural survival. Take a journey through a culture that you've never got to learn about. Enjoy!

Maori Culture in Western clothing

History
Homeland
World/Landscape
Cosmos
Birds
Neighbors
Cultural Survival
References
Heritage
Major Holidays
Dress

Neighbors

In the 17th century the Europeans had discovered their way over to New Zealand making an enormous change to the Maori way of life. The culture had adopted many aspects of Western society and a different culture. The relationship between the two was friendlessness and very little disagreement. Even though the conflict in the 1860's making tension over a disputed land sales became a problem. European New Zealanders had become the largest ethnic group in New Zealand, while the Maori follows. The Maori today continue to suffer the social problems though. A lot of the urban are considered "urban dwellers". They face the difficulty with alcoholism, domestic violence, and under-employment or unemployment.

Maori and European settlers

Cosmos

The Maori look at the world in a different view people would never imagine. It's known as "the cycle of the sun". As the rise of the sun makes across the sky, and its setting in the west is described as a cosmic mystery. Because of this cycle is repeated every day, the traditional maori is considered it the basic principle of the world. The sun represents the birth and growth of mana, which means power in the world. The birth, rise and death of the sun came to be the primary model for all existence. All life should be given expression with this certain kind of cycle. Maori culture  has a speaker called the "orator". The orator gives a speech which the words mean that the world is constantly emerging from darkness into light. This speech is considered to be a re-enactment of Tane (the father oh humankind) separating earth and sky, in other words how light came into the world. His two parents, Papatuanuku (the earth mother) and Ranginui (the sky father) when Tane separated these two the sun was able to shine into the world. If the orator's words became to give Maoris guidance and wisdom he has given them the exit out of the "night" and right into the "day", giving them at peace. This only happens when mana (a spiritual force) enters a person. In other words, as the sun brings another day to the culture.

Homeland

Hawaiki is known for the homeland of the Maori culture, before they travelled across the sea to New Zealand. These indigenous people traveled from their mythical Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki more than 1000 years ago. The population of Maori make up to 14% and still to this day they like to keep their culture alive. The best way to experience and observe the Maori culture is on a marae which is known as their tribal meeting grounds. Their homeland is filled with speeches, and singing. You'll experience carved meeting houses, and even meet the local people. When meeting the Maori, they exchange hellos with the traditional pressing of noses.

Traditional pressing of noses

Hawaiki

  

References

The Maoris of New Zealand, Metge Joan
Maori myths & tribal legends, Alpers Antony
"Countries and Their Cultures." Maori. N.p.,n.d.Web. 18 Apr.2014
"Maori Culture."Maori Culture. N.p.,n.d.Web.18 Apr.2014

 

World/Landscape

Maori are the tangata whenua or "indigenous people of the land" of Aotearoa New Zealand. Maori cultures landscape is located on the natural environment of forests, sea, rivers, lakes and mountains. The islands of New Zealand is the homeland of the Maori. They make up 14% of our population which equals out to 600,000. Today, 80 percent of the Maori live in the urban areas of New Zealand. New Zealand consists of two islands, the North Island and the South Island. The North island is hilly with areas of flat rolling terrain. The South Island is larger and more mountainous. Prior to the arrival of humans, both islands were densely forested.

Islands of New Zealand

 

Cultural survival

The early Maori culture had survived by fishing and hunting birds. After finding out they lived in a area with many flightless birds. Therefore, they used to hunt these birds for food and later realizing they can use the bones to make weapons. A "wharenui" which means "big house", this is a typical house of the Maori culture. Wharenui is also usually called a meeting house in the New Zealand English. The present style of the wharenui originated in the early nineteenth century. The style of these houses are carved inside and out with images of the iwi's or tribes ancestors.

Maori Birds

New Zealand was a home to many flightless birds, including the Moa. This bird was hunted for its meat, large eggs, and feathers. The Moa bones were said to be extremely strong and gave a purpose for fabricate artifact's. There were 11 species of this bird, ranging from the size of a turkey up to 3.7 tall, weighing up too 200 kg. The different species included the Upland Moa (megalapteryx didinus), The Heavy-footed Moa (Euryapteryx geranoides) and the Giant Moat (Dinornis giganteus). In the tradition Maori thought and saw birds as "chiefly", the certain kinds of birds were used to ware in there hair. Particularly plumes. Chiefs wore Kahu Huruhuru, which is a feather cloak, made from feathers of the most beautiful birds. The huia, which is a very extinct bird since the early 20th century. This beautiful bird had a black tail with white tips. These feathers were only worn in there hair by high-ranking people. The male huia had a straight beak, while the female's was curved. The KaKa, a cheeky parrot, had red feathers under its wings. Maori distinguished the color red as a high status color. Many upscale Maoris wore cloaks made with kaka feathers. These birds were also kept as pets and often used as decoys. The kaka has a loud call and the Maori described it as someone being so talkative and big-mouthed kaka, or kaka heads.

Mao

Giant Moat

Maori History

The name "Maori" once originally meant "the local people", or even "the original people". Maori was a word which was meant to meant "local" or "original". When the arrival of the European settlers, the word "Maori" slowly adjusted to become the "Maori people". This small change took place before 1815. Originally the ancestor's of Polynesian people originated from south-east Asia. The voyage of these traveler's went through China, Taiwan, and through the South Pacific and on there way to New Zealand. When Maori had discovered the Great Fleet, also known as the canoe tradition. This tradition was handed down from generation to generation. According to this ideal tradition, these great canoes had arrived from the mythical homeland oh Hawaiiki, typically known as the ancestral homeland, somewhere in the Eastern Polynesia. These Great Fleet canoes consisted of the Aotea, Arawa, Tainui, Kurahaupo, Takitimu, Horousta, Tokomaru and Mataatua.