I had never paddled in a bus before. When in Rotorua…

Like the Maasai and the Aborigines, the Maori people of New Zealand have a unique culture that has been absorbed by the Western world. Hunting with spears has become futile (not to mention illegal) and a tattooed face makes it hard to get a civilized job. There’s a large population on the North Island, but the authentic lifestyle is only preserved by tourist attractions.

That being said, there are different ways to do it. At the Maasai and Aboriginal centers, I felt the attitude was: “we know you can’t see this stuff anywhere else and you’re going to keep comin’ no matter what.” The people were businessmen in costumes who didn't know or care about their culture except how much it was worth.

The Tamaki Maori Village was different. It was classy and professional, and I wasn’t thinking “This is so sad, I’m such a stupid tourist” the entire time. The Maori greeting “kia ora” was consistently used instead of English, as was the “hongi” – the traditional pressing of the noses and exchange of life breath. The buses became “wakas” (canoes) the moment we entered them, and we couldn’t get off until a chief was chosen.

The chiefs from each bus led the rest of us into the village, where the “Challenge of Peace” decided if we were friends or foes. If the chiefs had stepped on the fern leaf placed before them, we meant war. But they of course picked it up and we were allowed to enter. During the ceremony, tattooed men danced around in front of the crowd, with eyes bulging, tongues flapping, spears twirling, and loud guttural noises being grunted at random. That behavior is intended to intimidate, but it was incredibly amusing. I had to restrain myself, however, for we were strictly told not to laugh.

Inside the forest village, there were various culture stations: mock combat, wood crafts, hand games, etc. We were free to roam around before a “hangi” dinner, with food that had been cooked underground the old way. After the Maori feast, it was time to row home…and practice bulging my eyes and flapping my tongue.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2006 at 10:48 pm in XVI. NZ. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.