Along with different cultures come a diverse group of people, distinct languages and a variety of rituals as well. According to Anne Salmond, the Maori people had a variety of rules that went along with ceremonial events and situations. The main ritual is Maori ceremonial gatherings, also known as hui which takes place in marae complexes. A marae has a carved meeting-house and courtyard, fenced all around for isolation. Some of the Maori communities lost their young ones to the city, leaving the marae idle for the older generations to look after it. Everything from the food being served, the dominant language and etiquette was based on the Maori culture. The hui can range from causes of marriage, death, opening a new meeting-house or celebrations of loyalty. Salmond states that during the hui, “genealogies are recited, traditions re-told, the ancestors are repeatedly invoked, and oral skills are practiced” (Salmond 193). I would want to experience going to a real hui just to see how intense it is. Since I probably won't in my lifetime, I watched this Maori greeting ritual. It was a little scary and deep.
There are all these rituals that are to be followed by certain rules. Chanting and oratory are some of the many rituals done. All of these rituals and rules sound very intense and seems like there’s no room for mistake. The orators are mostly men, but when this old lady outranked the men in her tribe, she gets a crowd full of outrage. She continues chanting then looks over at the men and bends over and flips her skirts at them. This gesture is done whenever someone says or does something offensive. I thought this gesture was very funny because it’s so different from nowadays where girls or women wouldn’t do that. People would just “boo” other people or show hand gestures.
Maori is another endangered language that should try to be preserved. “Perhaps 10% or less of the Maori population is fluent in their native language, and the process is constantly being accelerated by the influences of urbanization” says Salmond (198). It’s sad how the younger generations don’t speak Maori at all. I think that the younger generations should make an attempt to learn the language fluently. That way the language and culture can evolve and live on.
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In Salmond’s article we found out that in New Zealand there are very few fluent speakers of its native language, Maori. This seems to be an unfortunate trend in the Pacific, as we have learned that here in Hawai’i there are also not many people who are able to speak the native language, Hawaiian, fluently. Both New Zealand and Hawai’i have been greatly influenced by Europeans and therefore, the English language has become prevalent, nearly replacing the islands’ native languages. Although English is spoken by the majority of New Zealand’s population, it is reassuring to know that Maori is used as the ritual language of the marae during special ceremonies and rituals. The use of Maori by the elders during these rituals is crucial to sustaining the endangered language, but as the elders grow older and eventually pass away, it becomes the younger generation’s responsibility to keep the language alive. Maintaining the Maori language becomes a huge task for the younger generations who have yet to learn it. However if the challenge is not accepted, the language and the traditions attached to it will cease to exist.
ReplyDeleteShould we value the old traditions, the old ways? Should we keep moving "forward" in the name of progress? What can and can't we hold on to in order to make room for Pakeha culture? Or is it possible to hold on to everything? I'm reminded of a "meeting" I went to last semester, when Witi Ihimaera was teaching at UH - it was the near the end of the semester, and he was telling a story of how he had gone to school and was telling his granny of what he had learned. Well...
ReplyDelete"Jack and Jill
went up a hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after."
His granny was was confused by this, as why would the kids not have Maori names, and why would the kids go up a hill when there's a stream with water at the bottom of the valley? It made no sense from the Maori perspective.
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ReplyDeleteI found the clips that you posted very interesting to watch. I had the same feelings while watching the clip. If a Maori guy was in my face like that I would definitely be freaked out. Maori rituals are some of the most unique rituals I have ever seen. It would be a shame if these rituals were to be lost. With the numbers that were in the article it is easy to see how that could very well come true. All of the advertising campaigns that we have discussed in class does not help the situation of losing an important part of a culture as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Anne Salmond's article, I find it very interesting to see the similarities between the New Zealand (Aotearoa) and Hawaiian culture. For example, a heiau is a sacred Hawaiian temple used for ceremonial gatherings. Like the Aotearoa culture, a chant must be recited before entering the heiau as a way of asking permission. These chants are also strictly spoken with their "native tongue". As mention above for hui ceremonial gatherings, they are also present during the traditional Hawaiian conventions such as weddings, burials, sacrificial offerings to the gods, blessing new lands/properties and so on. However, today in the Hawaiian culture heiaus are used more as a tourist attraction whereas in Aotearoa, maraes are still used for ceremonial gatherings.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Maoris tattoo really impressed me. The very first time I went to PCC, I found there were taboos on the face of people. I felt painful for them, but the staff there told me that is very common in Maoris culture. Before I only knew tattoo was the symbol of slaves.
ReplyDeleteAs far I know, a lot of ritual practice in Pacific islands are somewhat similar. Like ritual practice, they involve in a lot of chanting and dancing. We watched greeting video in the class. I think their greeting is quite interesting, involving in a lot of chanting and dancing.
I also found it is interesting in the click for women's delivering baby. They are squatting to deliver baby with the help of female assistants or mothers or husbands in the nest house but in their own house. When babies are born, they will be welcomed by their relative and parents through speech and chanting. This ritual reminds me of birth rite in China. When baby is born, grandparents will go to worship ancestors in altar, offering them incense. After baby boy is born for one year, he will be sent to altar. On the table, there are different objects, such as a toy car, book and other things. If the baby boy grabs the book, it means he will be a very excellent student in the future. Because of the sex bias, this ritual is only for baby boy who is one year old.