Also in the reading were the rules and regulations of these Maori rituals. There were thirteen rules. The rules were very thorough. I found that these rituals mostly connected with the ancestors and the dead to show respect. There were a lot of speeches, shouts, greetings, etc. When reading about the rituals and rules, the memory of me visiting the New Zealand village at Polynesian Culture Center (PCC) a month ago popped into my mind. The connection of what I was reading to some of the rituals that happened at PCC.
She brought up a good point in which the rituals won't live on if the language isn't spoken. "Two old men gave a speech in English to make things easier for the European guest, but it was looked down upon..." (Salmond 1974, 199). I find it hard especially for rituals like this to be practiced in future generations because of the decreasing number of native speakers in the younger generation. In the Filipino culture there are many rituals that my family perform that the younger generation don't participate in because they don't know the language and all the background information behind it. I guess its true that if the language dies then everything falls with it. But its up to us, the younger generation to stop that and make a difference.
PCC Clip
Similar to your experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center in New Zealand, I have witnessed the rituals of encounters of the Hawaiian people. You find that the format is very similar between the two cultures. From what I observed at the Hawaiian ceremony, there was a challenge by the host, followed by a response in chant by the guest, immediately followed by a welcome chant by the host, and finally culminating with the pressing of noses between both parties. It seems the oratory part follows these steps in the Hawaiian version as opposed to following the challenge and chanting in the New Zealand version. I thought it would be interesting to share my experience and see how alike the two rituals are.
ReplyDeleteThe language can continue on even if the younger generations do not speak it - it simply won't be recognized, relegated to being studied by curious academics catching their fancy on a footnote of history. The question is not who, or how many, but when will everyone learn the mother languages - diversity brings different ideas to the table, and diversity is good - or at least biology tells us. It may be easier if we were all the same type, but it would be that much easier to take us all down as a monoculture.
ReplyDeleteI definitely vote for the University to sponsor a trip to NZ to view this first hand. I read it, I understood it, I can picture it but I doubt its no where close to what actually happens.
ReplyDeleteThe whole sememster, we are talking about endangered language and culture. From the PCC clip, there is also something popping up my mind. The Polynesican culture has already become a commodity of tourism. People who practice the ritual may not be indigenous people. I remembered when I went to PCC, I asked a person who practiced Maori ritual about his origin. He told me he was not from NZ. Does this kind of people bring something to the indigenous culture? Is the ritual they are playing now is pure and authentic? I do not know.
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