Overview: Maori Art and Culture

Maori 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 Maori influences to create a unique identity that is fresh, invigorating and adventurous. About 15% of the country’s population of 4 million are of Maori descent. Maori 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. Maori gain strength and their identity from the life of the marae.

Maori, 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. Maori 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, Maori 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 Maori culture. Traditionally, Maori enjoy waiata (song), dance and kapa haka (traditional performance). The well-known Maori 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 Maori 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’.

Another Maori 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 Maori 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 ‘Maori 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.

Maori 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 Maori and European traditions in New Zealand has led to some unique cultural events. Annual events, such as Pasifika in Auckland, display New Zealand's cultural diversity, of which Maori is the foundation. The 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.

Maori culture has been passed on from generation to generation through music, carvings, art, story-telling and reciting genealogies (whakapapa). The strength and beauty of Maori 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 Maori 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 Maori 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 Maori kai (food) cooked on hot stones underground as part of a traditional hangi. They can also enjoy a Maori 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.

Website: www.newzealand.com