Taonga Mata Ora

Dinner at Te Papa's Taonga Mata Ora, with Maori, Samoan and Tahitian performances.

Wellington Pasifika Festival

The first Pacific Festival (of what hopes to be an annual event) was held in Wellington today, with local Pacific Island groups performing song and dance. The event was very popular and provides a great source of cultural pride for various Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. Here are photos of dancers from Tonga, Tokelau, Fiji and the Cook Islands. More photos are in the slide show to the right-hand side of this page, or here (click on photos to enlarge).

Waitangi Day

These photos are of a Māori waka taua (double-hulled war canoe). The facial tattoos (ta moko) represent whakapapa (genealogy) and express both individual and iwi (tribal) identity. The shell eyes are meant to intimidate, representing eyes that never shut.

The canoe is located in Waitangi, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between British settlers and Māori chiefs on February 6, 1840. The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Māori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave Māori the rights of British subjects. However, there are two versions of the Treaty - Māori and English - each with significantly different interpretations, resulting in many misunderstanding.

Until the 1970's the New Zealand courts and parliament had largely ignored the Treaty (and many adults have learned in school that it was signed as a "benevolent" act on the part of the Crown). Today, it is generally regarded as the founding document of New Zealand (Aotearoa) as a nation, but there is much ongoing debate over the extent to which it is truly honoured.

Pao Pao Pao

Last night, I went to "Pao Pao Pao," a concert of Māori and Pasifika music. Nine performers played and danced for over 3 hours and most were very good. One of my favourites was Torotoro, a contemporary dance group. They have come a long way since their debut on youtube, but if you are interested in seeing two of their videos check out these links: Wahine (women) and Tama (men) [note: this is not traditional Māori dancing of music]. If you are looking for something more traditional, check here: Traditional Dance and Poi-E (one hit wonder in New Zealand - well worth watching it for the break dancing).

The song, Poi-E, was produced in the 1980's with two objectives: (1) to market Māori langugage and culture, and (2) to warn Māori youth about urban dangers. The dissolution of Māori language and culture was partially a result of a rapid shift of Māori populations from rural areas to the cities after World War II, when New Zealand had been experiencing rapid growth and manual labor was in high demand throughout the cities. Many Māori elders died at war and the younger generation moved to unfamiliar urban areas with very limited structure and family support. The economic boom in New Zealand didn't last very long, but long enough to displace a whole generation, causing a breakdown in culture for years to come. Some tribes have been very successful at re-establishing themselves, while others have a long way to go. The government has made some progress in supporting a cultural renaissance (for example, Te Reo Māori, "the language," was later recognized by the New Zealand government as a national language in 1987), but there is a long way to go.

Fiafia Fa'asamoa!

It's official... I just bought my flight to Samoa for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts (Su'iga'ula a le Atuvasa) from Friday, July 18 - Sunday, August 3. So... if you would like to visit New Zealand, don't plan on coming during these dates (meet me in Samoa instead). The festival takes place once every 4 years and brings together Pacific Islanders from Samoa, Palau, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, Australia, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinnea, New Zealand and Fiji to share arts (tattooing, wood carving, print making, culinary arts, film, literature, music, dance, architecture, and traditional medicine) for two weeks. This offers a great way to see the best cultural offerings from the Pacific Island countries in one central location.

Dance magazine wrote an article reviewing the 2000 festival, which provides a nice overall description of what can be expected. If you are interested in coming to the festival, look for flights to Pagopago, American Samoa (PPG).