The Maori are the native Polynesian people of New Zealand. They arrived in new Zealand in several stages of voyages using long boats known as canoes between 1250 and 1300CE ( Starzecka & Davidson, 1996). Due to their living in isolation, the Polynesian communities came up with their own unique culture which we refer to as the Maori complete with their language, performing arts, distinct artwork, and a rich mythological history. As they settled into the new found land, they brought with them the customs and organizations from the eastern Polynesia. After suffering due to the arrival of European settlers the traditional Maori culture has managed to recover with calls for protection of the natives by the New Zealand government. Today, the Maori make up about 14% of the New Zealand population and their culture is central to the country’s identity ( Starzecka & Davidson, 1996).
The word Maori means natural, or ordinary, the word was used to distinguish mortal human from the spirits and deities the community worshiped. The history of the Maori in New Zealand is set with the arrival of their ancestors from the Hawaiki homeland- during the great fleet- which is thought to be a mythical realm in tropical Polynesia. The stories of migration vary from one tribe to the next. The story that holds steady in these tribes is described in the legend of Maui, a demi-god who using his magical fishing hook fished up the northern island ( Moon, 2003) . Another tale is told of the first Maori navigator Kupe who used the ocean waves and the stars to find his way to this new land around 925. Scholars also state the presence of Toi, also a Maori legend who is set to have made way to New Zealand in 1150.
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The first Polynesian settled around the east coast which had favorable climates and proved to be more hospitable than the mainland. The Maori were hunters and gatherers, but they also cultivated a variety of fruits and vegetables. Their tools of trade included animal bones, ivory teeth, and stone.
Most of the Maori lived in villages which were made up of several whanau- extended families and who collectively formed a clan or a sub-tribe. They did not have a unified society but shared a variety of similarities such as a common language, ancestral heritage, and religious beliefs. The society was divided into three classes or hierarchies at the top being the chiefs and the ruling families, followed by the commoners, and lastly the slaves. There were also specialists in the community who were revered and called upon during special occasion in the community (. Barlow & Wineti, 1991).
The Maori have a form of body art known as the moko also known as Maori tattooing. It is considered as being highly sacred and the tattoos are compromised of spiral and curved like patterns. Since the Maori value the head to be a sacred part of the body, the tattoo covered most of the head to reveal social status, power, and prestige. Getting a tattoo was part of a rite of passage for the Maori people and it would begin during the adolescence period. The tattoos are one of a kind and no one pattern is the same as another. The tattoo specialist is known as the tohunga ta moko , meaning the moko expert or specialist. Most of the experts were men but there are a few men who have taken up the practice (Ballara, 1998).
Under the Maori culture, tapu is considered to denote something of value, sacred and holy. The English word taboo derived its meaning from this word and it dates back to the arrival of captain James cook in 1777. Tapu was central to the establishment of the Maori culture and it was practice by the entire society ( Starzecka & Davidson, 1996) . The people were required to show respect to the environment and the natural resources from where they got their food and nourishment. There were prohibitions and restrictions for certain things; those that were considered tapu or sacred were required to be let alone or even spoken abut since it would incur the wrath of the spirits. Religious leaders would invoke tapu to protect natural resources from exploitation. There were two kinds of tapu, those that were public and those that were private.
Noa was the concept that meant ordinary or free from tapu- restrictions (Ballara, 1998). It was combined with several other practices. For example, when a person visited a cemetery, they were required to sprinkle water on their hands and their feet so that they were allowed in and out of the sacred ground. It was used before words to show that they were free to be performed and the person involved was not in any danger of breaking laws. The practices of tapu and noa exist till date even as most of the practices and beliefs have lessened over the years.
References
Ballara, A. (1998). Iwi: The Dynamics of Māori Tribal Organisation from C.1769 to C.1945 . Victoria University Press
Barlow, C., & Wineti, E. (1991). Tikanga whakaaro: Key concepts in Maori culture . Auckland: Oxford University Press.
Starzecka, D. C., & Davidson, J. E. (Eds.). (1996). Māori: Art and Culture . Trustees of the British Museum.
