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Overview:
Maori Art and Culture
- Information kindly supplied by Tourism Rotorua
Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and their
culture is an integral part of New Zealand life. The New Zealand
culture combines both European and Māori influences to
create a unique identity that is fresh, invigorating and adventurous.
About 15% of the country’s population of 3.8 million are of
Māori descent. Māori are a tribal people and their
tribes are known as iwi. Today most live in urban areas, away
from their kainga (traditional villages). However, many gather
at their home marae (meeting grounds) for important occasions.
Māori gain strength and their identity from the life of
the marae.
Māori, who are Polynesians, were the first inhabitants
of New Zealand, and are thought to have arrived in New Zealand
more than 1000 years ago in double-hulled waka (canoes), from
islands in Eastern Polynesia. Māori settled on both main
islands of New Zealand and named the country Aotearoa (Land
of the Long White Cloud). Dutch Navigator Abel Tasman, the first
European discoverer, arrived in 1642 and named the islands New
Zealand.
Late in the 18th century, Aotearoa New Zealand was settled by
European missionaries and whalers. In 1840, Māori signed
the Treaty of Waitangi with the British Crown, which gave the
British Government sovereignty over Aotearoa New Zealand. The
Treaty of Waitangi is now regarded as Aotearoa New Zealand’s
founding document. The site of the Treaty signing, at Waitangi
in the Bay of Islands, is now a national reserve and regarded
as a place of historical significance. It is a popular tourist
destination.
Music and dance are a vital part of Māori culture. Traditionally,
Māori enjoy waiata (song), dance and kapa haka (traditional
performance). The well-known Māori haka is a fierce dance-chant
that has become internationally recognised among sports fans
who follow New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks.
Over the years, numerous Māori have made their mark on
the international arts scene through the beauty of their voices.
Best known of these is acclaimed soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa,
who made her international debut at Covent Garden in 1971 and
who returned there in March 2001 celebrating an incredible 30-year
association with the Royal Opera House. Dame Kiri remains one
of the leading sopranos of her generation, whose career highlight
was to sing at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana
at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 in front of an audience of 750
million worldwide.
Rapidly making a name for herself as the ultimate successor
to Dame Kiri, is opera singer Deborah Wai Kapohe. Still young
in operatic terms, 30-year-old Wai Kapohe is already making
her mark on the international stage. She performed in Sydney
during the 2000 Olympics; in 2000 she was the child in The Child
in Grandma’s Shoes produced by Opera Australia; and she sang
in the Beijing opera production of Massenet’s Werther in the
2000 Beijing Music Festival. She has also performed at the St
James Palace at Prince Charles’ home in London and is described
as having a voice ‘to die for’. Wai Kapohe is in her sixth professional
year.
Another Māori singer who has come to attention over the
past few years is Hinewehi (Hine) Mohi. Mohi's iwi (tribes)
are Kahungunu and Tuhoe and she passionately promotes Maori
language and culture in her music. Her modern interpretations
of traditional Māori themes and music blend with Pacific
rhythm and haunting chants to form a unique brand of contemporary
pop. Her ground-breaking 1999 album Oceania was produced in
association with Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman and has been described
as ‘Māori musical culture meeting the modern world’. Oceania
received international airplay and acclaim. Mohi also sang the
New Zealand national anthem in Maori at New Zealand's first
match of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Māori artists in other fields who have achieved international
recognition include actors Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors,
Speed 2, Vertical Limit, Star Wars II) and Rena Owen (Once Were
Warriors, When Love Comes and Star Wars II ), singer/actor Rima
Te Wiata (daughter of renowned, now deceased, opera star Inia
Te Wiata); and artists Ralph Hotere and Darcy Nicholas.
The marriage between the Māori and European traditions
in New Zealand has led to some unique cultural events. Opera
in the Pa is an example of the way in which Maori and Pakeha
(European) influences have given rise to a fresh Pacific culture.
The concert was held in January 2002 in Rotorua, and saw the
best of Maori and Polynesian voices sing the operatic works
of Verdi, Puccini and Mozart at the sacred Rotowhio marae, against
a backdrop of bush and geysers. Now a biennial event to be held
in January 2005.The Pasifika in Auckland, display New Zealand's
cultural diversity, of which Māori is the foundation. The
one-day festival has been running since 1993 and features traditional
arts, entertainment and the food of the 250,000 Pacific Island
people who call Auckland home. This event has become so popular,
it is expected to grow.
Māori culture has been passed on from generation to generation
through music, carvings, art, story-telling and reciting genealogies
(whakapapa). The strength and beauty of Māori art is evident
in architectural carving and interior designs of marae (meeting
houses), and in ornate wood and whakairo (bone carvings), pounamu
(greenstone or jade) pendants and other taonga (treasures).
Carving and weaving skills arose from the practical requirements
of traditional Maori lifestyle. Fibre for clothing, ropes and
other uses was created by weaving flax and other natural fibres.
Hard New Zealand pounamu (greenstone or jade) was originally
made into weapons and carving implements. Native wood was carved
into spiritual objects that adorned Māori meeting houses
(wharenui) and waka. The modern outlet for the creation of such
traditional objects comes through artworks, many of which are
highly sought after in the art world.
Visitors to New Zealand are presented with many opportunities
to experience Māori culture first-hand in numerous regions
of the country. Best known of these is the thermal region of
Rotorua in the North Island, where tourists can experience Māori
kai (food) cooked on hot stones underground as part of a traditional
hangi. They can also enjoy a Māori powhiri (welcome), visit
local marae (meeting houses), listen to kapa haka (traditional
performances of song and dance) and relax in the popular thermal
pools. It's like stepping back in time, to days when people
were at one with the land, and the only thing that mattered
was whether the sun would shine the next day. And on most days
it does - when it doesn't you can just stay in the pool.
Further Information
Marketing Communications Co-ordinator
Tourism Rotorua
Private Bag 3007
Rotorua
New Zealand
Phone +64 7 348 4133
Fax +64 7 349 4133
Email marketing@tourism.rdc.govt.nz
website http://www.rotoruanz.com
Thank you to Tourisim Rotorua
who have allowed us to use their information. |
