Waitangi Day

February 6th is Waitangi Day - a day to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand's founding document, signed in 1840). The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British citizens living in New Zealand. There are significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate (and several court cases) over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. [source: Wikipedia]

The following photos and video are from events at Waitangi Park in Wellington. One of the greatest parts of living in Wellington is the range of music and cultural offerings in the city.

So many Polynesians have beautiful singing voices or musical talent, even if they cannot read music. They often times learn to sing in church. The second two videos are of an award-winning barbershop quartet based in Wellington - four guys who started singing together in high school and continue to do so while in university. Their singing has won them several awards and provided the opportunity to travel internationally. In a country where Polynesians are often treated as second-class citizens, it is really encouraging to see those that rise above and excel in ways that many of us couldn't achieve.

My apologies for my shaky hand at the camera and the wind interfering with the sound quality.



Musical Island Boys (Wellington-based Barbershop Quartet)

Pasifika Festival, Wellington

This weekend, Wellington City Council hosted its second annual Pasifika Festival. The weather was warm and sunny and the turnout of hundreds of Pacific Islanders, Maori and Pakeha was really encouraging. With dances and singing from many of the Pacific Islands, it was a wonderful event. These videos are from a Samoan group - sorry about the over-exposure, but the singing is well worth listening to.

U.S. Presidential Inauguration

The U.S. Presidential inauguration made front-page news in New Zealand.  It made me wonder whether most Americans realize the impact the country and its leadership has on the rest of the world.  By the way, can you name the Prime Minister of New Zealand? (answer: John Key, National Party).

Siva Afi (Samoan Fire Knife Dance)

The Samoan "Siva Afi" (Fire-Knife Dance) has a history which goes back several generations. As the name implies, the dance is performed by wrapping a machete in towels at either end with a portion of the knife exposed. The knife is generally lit on fire on one end and the performer begins by putting fire from the lit end into his mouth (see photo) to light the other end. With the two ends lit, the dancer performs acrobatic feats while twirling the knife around, behind his back and between his legs. Here are a few videos I shot of a performance from my last trip to Samoa.  The slow-motion videos are for you to learn the moves and practice at home:

Samoa

Just after two weeks in Tonga, I spent 4 days in the office and then flew to Samoa for the weekend.  Extravagant?  Yes.  Worth it?  Definitely!  Here are a couple photos of people I came across while cruising around the island of 'Upolu.  Samoans are generally very friendly, proud, welcoming, forgiving, charismatic, and very good-natured.  This is a place where I will return again and again - in my mind, if not in actuality.

Slideshow of Photos from Samoa:

Closing of Catholic Senior School

After 28 years of providing form 6 education to students from all over Samoa, the Catholic Senior School shut its doors.   I lived at the school for 3 years (1997-2000) and taught chemistry, math and physics as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.  These were, and likely will always be, among the most enjoyable and vivid years of my life.  Samoa opened a whole new world and has provided me with many pleasant memories.  After 10 years, I clearly remember the laughter, the beautiful singing, and the creativity of the students. 

The closing ceremony included a mass and a huge dinner with a live band, three roasted pigs, a roasted cow (!) and lots of Vailima (Samoa's very own beer).   

The photos below are from 1997-1999, when I lived in Moamoa and taught at the school.  Two of the students from the photo above are in the photos below (Matthew and Helen).  Can you spot them?   More photos from 1997-1999 are in my online photo album (click here). 

Tonga

Two weeks in Tonga for Christmas and New Years Eve were absolutely beautiful.  Much of the time was spent around the capital town of Nuku'alofa ("Village of Love")  and the main island, Tongatapu ("Sacred South").  Photos are of a boat we took to a nearby island, a man fishing along the reef's edge, Hufangalupe ("Pigeon's Gate"), the Mapu'a 'a Vaca ("Chief's Whistle") Blowholes, and the Ha'amonga 'a Maui ("Maui's Burden") Trilithon.   

The best part of the trip was the opportunity to stay with Teki's (Tongan) family and enjoy local food.  A few archeological sites are well preserved, including the trilithon in the bottom picture which is made of limestone taken from the Wallis Islands (West of Samoa) and constructed in the early 13th century.  Snorkelling was also fantastic.
   

The Seismic Isolation Dance

Two buildings in Wellington are virtually earthquake-proof: (1) the Parliament and the (2) Te Papa Museum. They are protected by flexible plates at their base which essentially allow the building to remain relatively still during an earthquake by providing a shock-absorbing buffer at the building's base. This buffer is also capable of allowing the entire building to shift from left to right without damaging its frame. After seeing a video of the plate action (follow link for video), I was inspired to create the Earthquake Dance. In case of an emergency in Wellington, this is what I will be doing:



By the way, I'll be in Tonga for Christmas and New Years Eve, so enjoy the holidays!

Rainy Weekend

It has been a cold and rainy weekend in Wellington, so I picked up a few movies from the city library.  Below are video trailers from two excellent films from Australia (Rabbit Proof Fence) and New Zealand (Whale Rider).  Although these films are approximately 6 years old,  I would recommend either of them for your next rainy weekend, if you haven't seen them already.  

RABBIT PROOF FENCE

WHALE RIDER

Bike the Bays

One of my favourite events of the year is the Bike the Bays bicycle ride around the various bays outside of Wellington. Hundreds of people come out for the 28-KM ride and enjoy the morning. Last year this event was held in February (see link to my entry last year).

The ride this year was beautiful because the Pōhutukawa trees were in full bloom. (NB: the Pōhutukawa is sometimes referred to as the New Zealand Chrsitmas tree because of its brilliant red flowers and green leaves, and because it blooms just in time for Christmas. Here is a video clip from Scorching Bay (one of the bays with a beautiful small beach) and a couple of photos from the ride.

Visitors from Another Hemisphere, Part II

Here are a couple videos from my recent travels with friends from the North. The videos are of: (1) a traffic jam on the South Island, (2) Angela's bungy jump/canyon swing, and (3) a Tui (a native bird of New Zealand).

Visitors from Another Hemisphere

Over the past three weeks, visitors from the Northern Hemisphere descended upon me to witness the way we do things in New Zealand. That, of course, included lots of hiking, kayaking in Milford Sound, Bunjy-canyon-swinging (for one brave soul), a trip to New Zealand's third island (Stewart Island, south of the South Island), a few days in Windy Wellington, and just one traffic jam!

A great outcome for many parts of the world

Today, New Zealanders celebrated Guy Fawkes Day with fireworks on the harbour. Many were also celebrating Barak Obama's win for the presidential elections (being 16 hours ahead of the US East Coast, we learned the election results this afternoon). I was concerned that I wouldn't return home if McCain and Palin were elected, so I am very relieved that I can come home anytime after January.

This Saturday, New Zealanders will have their own national elections, but many have indicated a greater interest in the US outcome.

More Fieldwork Photos

My most recent fieldwork visit was in Central Otago on the South Island. In addition to some beautiful scenery, the area is well known for producing some of New Zealand's best pinot noir and pinot gris wines. Cheers!

Field Work

Months are slipping by and I haven't written on my blog! (I don't know if anyone noticed, actually). Anyway, I have been traveling a lot with work over the past several weeks. I am auditing the local government sector with respect to its responsibilities to provide potable drinking water to its constituents. This used to mean that territorial authorities would just have to provide reasonably clean water to the ratepayers living in each district. However, with a recent change in legislation, water is being more stringently regulated. This is true of water quality regulations (for protozoa, bacteria, etc.) and water quantity (allocation among competing users). I can't discuss the findings yet, but I'll issue a report to the New Zealand Parliament in 2009. I can tell you that the field work has taken me to large and small councils around the North and South islands. Here are a couple photos, in case you are interested.

Tu Tangata - 30th Anniversary

For 30 years, Maori and Pasifika high school students have celebrated their unique cultures through an annual event called "Tu Tangata". Tu Tangata literally means, "stand, people" but more generally means, "be someone". It was pretty inspirational to see these students enjoying their heritage and doing very well at something. Here are a couple photos:

Solomon Island Dancers

Here is a short video of one of my favourite groups - the Solomon Island dancers. The Solomon Islands will host the next Pacific Arts Festival in 2012, in case you would like to start planning your trip!

Samoan Dancers

I bought a video camera just before going to the Pacific Arts Festival and just figured out how to downsize the video from high density to a windows media file which can be posted on the blog (this means relatively poor quality, but you can get the idea). This is a dance troop from Samoa, and they are doing a slap dance called the "sasa". You may notice some of the movements represent fishing and other activities related to food preparation and survival. These dances were used to pass stories from one generation to the next.

Fijian Dancer

This guy was one of the funniest of the dancers - from Fiji

Samoa - 10 years later

After attending the Pacific Arts Festival in American Samoa, I spent 10 days in Samoa. In the late 1990s, I had spent three years in Samoa as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching Chemistry, Math and Physics at a school in a village called Moamoa. I was concerned that 10 years of change could have taken the country in an undesirable direction, but was very pleased to experience that most changes are positive - and most other things haven't changed.

There are 2 new traffic lights, but apparently one hasn't been working for at least 3 months. There are lots more cars and cell phones, but there is also a ban on plastic bags (they have all been replaced by the ubiquitous biodegradable "Samoan Bio-Bag"). The police band still marches from the police station to the government building each morning and plays the national anthem while raising the flag. Afternoons in the villages are characterised by rugby and volleyball games and spontaneous uproars of laughter. Sundays are still reserved for God, and the singing in every church is of professional caliber - simply amazing.

I met up with several former students in town, many of whom are working for the government (Water Authority, Attorney General, Fisheries), private sector (e.g., architectural firms, hospitality industry), and a few who are carrying on the fa'asamoa (Samoan way) to the next generation by preserving the art of traditional tattooing, or teaching the Samoan language and culture in schools.

I have posted a few photos. If you would like to see more, click here.