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The Maori People: Language

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, who first arrived between 1250-1300 CE. They make up around 15% of New Zealand's population and experience higher levels of socioeconomic issues than other ethnic groups. Maori culture includes traditional art forms using materials like wood and shell, performing arts like the famous haka dance, and spiritual beliefs originating in Polynesia. Tattoos also hold cultural significance for the Maori people as a symbol of identity and commitment. Politically, Maori have had reserved parliamentary seats since 1868 and now make up around 7 of 122 total seats. [END SUMMARY]

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Debadrita Mukhopadhyay
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114 views3 pages

The Maori People: Language

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, who first arrived between 1250-1300 CE. They make up around 15% of New Zealand's population and experience higher levels of socioeconomic issues than other ethnic groups. Maori culture includes traditional art forms using materials like wood and shell, performing arts like the famous haka dance, and spiritual beliefs originating in Polynesia. Tattoos also hold cultural significance for the Maori people as a symbol of identity and commitment. Politically, Maori have had reserved parliamentary seats since 1868 and now make up around 7 of 122 total seats. [END SUMMARY]

Uploaded by

Debadrita Mukhopadhyay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE MAORI PEOPLE

The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people, who arrived in New Zealand in several
waves of canoe voyages some time between 1250 and 1300. According to 2013 census,
Maori people occupy about 15 percent of the national population of New Zealand. They
are the second-largest ethnic group in New Zealand, after European New Zealanders
("Pākehā"). Disproportionate numbers of Māori
face significant economic and social obstacles,
and generally have lower life expectancies and
incomes compared with other New Zealand
ethnic groups. They suffer higher levels of crime,
health problems, and educational under-
achievement.
LANGUAGE
The Māori language, also known as te reo Māori or simply Te Reo ("the language"), has the
status of an official language. Before European contact Māori did not have a written
language and "important information such as whakapapa was memorised and passed
down verbally through the generations". Maori is spoken mainly in the North Island of New
Zealand, in particular in the far North, Central & Eastern areas of the North Island where
sizeable populations of Māori are found. There are a number of speakers of Māori in all
the main urban centres of New Zealand. All (adult) Māori speakers can also speak English.
Māori is closely related to the language spoken in the Cook Islands,Tahitian, and other
Polynesian languages spoken in Eastern Polynesia. The 2013 national census suggests there
were approximately 125,000 speakers of Māori (around 21 % of all Māori and around 3 %
of all people living in NZ). However, hundreds of words in Māori are now derived from
English. Many believe that the Māori currently being used by younger speakers often
shows considerable influences from English in terms of pronunciation, grammar (especially
word order), and vocabulary usage.
ART
Art has always been an integral component of Maori culture.
Traditional Maori art was created using the materials available at
the time, such as wood, bone, pounamu (jade or
greenstone), paua (abalone)
shell, flax, and feathers. Today, a
greater variety of materials are
used, although many artists continue to use these
traditional materials today. The colours black, red and
white feature strongly in Maori art. The colour red is a
symbol of mana (prestige, power, status) and is therefore often used in the decoration of
important items such as the buildings and structures around a marae (courtyard where
formal greetings and discussions take place) and waka (canoes).

PERFORMING ARTS

A haka is a traditional Maori dance. Maori haka are performed


for various reasons, such as celebrating an achievement,
welcoming distinguished guests, or as a pre-battle challenge. It
includes haka(posture dance), poi (dance accompanied by song
and rhythmic movements of the poi, a light ball on a
string), waiata-ā-ringa (action songs) and waiata
koroua (traditional chants). Contrary to popular belief, a haka is
not always a war dance, and may be performed by both men
and women. The haka attained international fame as a result of
the pre-game haka performed by New Zealand national sports
teams, particularly the All Blacks rugby team. From the early 20th century kapa haka
concert parties began touring overseas.

BELIEF AND RELEGION


Traditional Māori beliefs have their origins in Polynesian culture. Many stories from Māori
mythology are analogous with stories across the Pacific Ocean. Polynesian concepts such
as tapu (sacred), noa (non-sacred), mana (authority/prestige) and wairua (spirit)
governed everyday Māori living. These practices remained until the arrival of Europeans,
when much of Māori religion and mythology was supplanted by Christianity. Islam is
estimated as the fastest growing religion among Māori, yet Māori Muslims constitute a
very small proportion of Māori.

TATTOO
Ta moko, often referred to as Maori tattoo, is the traditional
permanent marking of the body and face by Maori. But ta moko is
distinct from tattoo in that the skin is carved by uhi (chisels), made
from materials such as Albatross bone, instead of being punctured
with needles. This leaves the skin with textured grooves, rather than
the smooth surface of a normal tattoo. Ta moko is a core component
of Maori culture and an outward expression of commitment and
respect. In the past two decades there has been a significant
resurgence in the practice of ta moko as a sign of cultural identity. It is customary for men
to wear moko on their faces, buttocks, thighs and arms, whereas women usually wear a
moko on the chin and lips.

POLITICAL REPRESENTATION

The opening of the Māori Parliament at Pāpāwai, Greytown in


1897, with Richard Seddon in attendance.

Māori have been involved in New Zealand politics since the Declaration of the
Independence of New Zealand, before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Māori
have had reserved seats in the New Zealand Parliament since 1868: presently, this
accounts for 7 of the 122 seats in New Zealand's unicameral parliament. The contesting of
these seats was the first opportunity for many Māori to participate in New Zealand
elections.

MAORI BUSINESS
With the re-emergence of Maori culture has been an expansion of the Maori business
sector. Traditional areas of business for Maori have been agriculture, forestry and fisheries,
but diversification is now underway into other sectors such as horticulture, wine, energy,
renewables, information technology and large-scale tourism.
A growing awareness and appreciation of indigenous cultures is providing increased
opportunities for Maori tourism. With an increased focus on sustainable tourism, Maori
are ideally placed to provide a wide variety of tourist experiences to visitors to New
Zealand as well as existing residents.
The Federation of Maori Authorities is New Zealand's largest Maori business network. The
primary objective of the Federation of Maori Authorities is to foster and promote the
development, sound management, and economic advancement of Maori Authorities.

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