The Māori of New Zealand Spring 2011

The Māori of New Zealand Spring 2011 Aside from what is taught in a typical U.S. History course in high school, most Americans know little about the modern life of a Native American. Most are confined to reservations in the Midwest region, for lack of a choice in the matter, where they often work in casinos. They are rarely integrated into American society, and few seem to notice or care. Ask a New Zealander about the Māori, however, and you’ll get a different story. Common New Zealand slang is taken from Māori dialect. The national rugby team performs a traditional Māori dance before matches. And 15 percent of the island nation’s population is comprised of peacefully integrated Māori peoples. The Māori, as you might have guessed, are the indigenous Polynesian people of the small island of New Zealand. They are one of the largest ethnic groups living in New Zealand, second only to the Pākehā, who are generally descendants of British settlers. Over half a million Māori reside in New Zealand today, and around 100,000 Māori exist in Australia. What is perhaps most striking about the Māori is the generally successful integration they have maintained in modern New Zealand society. Although encountered by Europeans around the 17th century, the Māori were open to adapting to a westernized way of life and were able to coexist peacefully with the British under the title of a new British colony. Despite a brief period of dispute and disease between the two cultures, the Māori recovered and even experienced a cultural revival in the 1960s. Where the Native Americans of the United States are heavily concentrated in rural areas, the Māori are easily represented in New Zealand’s culture. They have reserved seats in the Parliament of New Zealand since 1840, become well-known rugby players, and even permeated the TV scene – Jemaine Clement of the popular HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords is of Māori descent. The Māori situation also provides a sharp contrast to the plight of the aborigines of Australia. In a similar fashion to the colonization of the Americas, the British settled on the eastern coast of Australia during the late 18th century, invading the indigenous Australians of their land and introducing deadly diseases that wiped out much of the native population. They were forced to submit to European rule and ways of life, assimilating to Western culture by necessity instead of choice. Today the aborigines are in the process of gaining political power and recognition within the Australian political sphere but often encounter many obstacles. It is for these reasons, then, that the history of the Māori is so unique, in a land not so far from Australia’s shores. Of course, the Māori are not without their trials. They tend to live in poor conditions, have higher rates of unemployment and even suffer more health problems such as obesity than other cultural groups in New Zealand. The government of New Zealand, however, seems more willing than other world nations to negotiate with the indigenous group. In the past two decades, the government has handed over almost $100 million in land settlements to Māori control. A Māori middle class is even on the rise, as the settlements have provided them with a timely window for economic development. The Māori are also unique in that they have been able to preserve many aspects of their traditional culture despite the assimilation to Western life. A central part of Māori tradition — and a popular tourist attraction — is the centuries-old cultural dance called Kapa haka (or haka for short). The routine generally involves rhythmic chanting, vigorous thigh-slapping and intricate hand movements. Haka was once used as an intimidation tactic when preparing for battle but now can be found at haka competitions and cultural events. Haka has been a central integration point into the greater New Zealand world. Since 1884, the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, have used Kapa haka to intimidate their opponents before a match began. It is now an All Blacks tradition before every international match, often met to roaring applause from the crowds. In 2005, before a match against the South African rugby team, the All Blacks performed a special haka choreographed for them by haka expert Derek Lardelli. Kapa O Pango, or Team in Black, was performed with furious intensity by the New Zealanders before they ended the dance with a singular, throat-slicing motion, as a somber South African team looked on. The All Blacks went on to beat South Africa 31-27. Lardelli spent a year perfecting Kapa O Pango and applauded the team’s efforts to incorporate traditional Māori customs. “Haka is a point of identity and a point of difference,” Lardelli told the New Zealand Herald in 2005, “for Māori and on the world stage for all New Zealanders.” UNC-Chapel Hill student studying abroad in New Zealand (sidebar) Kate Brown, a junior anthropology major at UNC-Chapel Hill, is studying abroad at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, for the semester. She is taking two classes about Māori culture but knew of the Māori people before she arrived in Dunedin. “I just learned about [the Māori] when I was learning about New Zealand when I was younger,” she said. “I still don't know too much about them because I haven't taken any [Māori-specific] classes yet.” Though the Māori culture prides itself on its ability to maintain traditional customs, Brown cautions about referring to them as anything not part of regular society. “There are a lot of people of Māori descent who are just like everyone else in New Zealand,” she said. “They look different from their skin tone, but that's about it.” In the meantime, Brown intends to learn haka before she returns to the United States. “I will definitely see the haka,” she said. “I'm taking a Māori performing arts class and will be able to learn some of the dances.” .

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