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Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, situated in Pages Road, 10-minute drive from Christchurch central city, New Zealand, is a meeting place for all people from everywhere.
Ngā Hau e Whā (‘the Four Winds’) is the only Marae in New Zealand which include not only all the tribes of New Zealand but all non-Maori. Te Amorangi is the gateway and entrance to Ngā Hau e Whā marae. |
Aoraki is the name of the Wharenui(meeting house).
In the creation story from Ngāi Tahu (Maori tribe in the south island), Aoraki and his three brothers arrived in an immense waka(canoe) that partially sank. Eventually Aoraki became the highest peak - Mt Cook (3744m) in Aotearoa, whilst his brothers became Titititi o Te Moana - The Southern Alps. Their waka became Te Waka o Aoraki - the South Island, also known as Te Waipounamu(The Greenstone Waters). |
The powhiri (/pofiri/, Maori welcome) is an important part of Maoritanga (Maori culture). The following stages are typical protocol of a powhiri when visiting a marae:
1. Karanga(call): one female elder of the the tangata whenua (hosts) does the karanga to invitie the manuhiri (visitors). The purpose of the call(karanga) is to weave a metaphorical spiritual rope around the forthcoming guests (manuhiri) for safe passage to enter the courtyard in front of the whare tupuna (ancestral house). |
Visitors (manuhiri) all move onto a marae in a tight-knit group with women in front.
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2. Traditionally a Wero (challenge, a dart or a leave) was placed down by the fittest male warriors of the tangata whenua(hosts). The male of manuhiri (visitors) picked it up to determine they had come in peace. It is not always done today.
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3. Haka Powhiri (welcome dance) is executed by the tangata whenua (hosts). The purpose of the haka powhiri is to use the rope woven during the karanga (call) to pull the spiritual waka (canoe) of the manuhiri (guests) onto the marae and to uplift the mana (prestige) of their marae, iwi, tribe and their tupuna (ancestors).
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4. Host Mihi (speech): the male of the tangata whenua (hosts) stands and speaks to the guest group. The purpose of the mihi is to acknowledge and weave together the past, present and future, by acknowledging the creator, guardians, the hunga mate (the dead) and the hunga ora (the living).
For both groups of host and guest, men sit in front of women. |
5. Host Waiata (chant/song): the host group people sing together after the mihi(speech). The purpose of the waiata is to show that the people support the speaker and what he has said. It acknowledges the speaker’s whakapapa (genealogy) or the group itself.
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6. Guest Mihi(speech) and Waiata(song): after the hosts' speech and songs, a male representative of the visiting group delivers a speech in their mother tongue, followed by a traditional song sung by all visitors.
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7. Koha (gift): koha is given by the manuhiri(guests) to the tangata whenua(hosts) after the guest's speech. Traditionally koha were in the form of precious materials - pounamu, whale bone, or korowai (cloaks). Today, money is the normal form of koha.
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8. Hongi: Maori greeting by gently pressing noses and foreheads, symbolises the exchange of breath of life. The hongi is the first physical contact between the host and the guest.
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9.Hakari/Kai (feast/eating): The final stage of the powhiri, where the tapu (sacrosanct nature) of the powhiri is removed by the sharing of kai (food).
The tangata whenua(hosts) and the manuhiri(guests) are now one. |
Maori Marae - four winds meet together, North meets South, West encounters East.
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Ngā Hau e Whā has been used as a centre for culture, education and entertainment.
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Pouhake at Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae is built in memory of Māori servicemen and women who fought in wars.
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three baskets of knowledge
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After powhiri (formal Maori welcome), it's time to learn haka.
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Haka is mainly men's group dance.
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Visitors from Catalonia, Spain develop a new form of haka: one-to-one, woman vs man.
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Poi - women's group dance is as good as gym exercise.
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stick dance
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blow a shell
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'he ao tea roa!' - saying attributed to Kuramarotini, wife of the legendary Pacific voyager Kupe, on first sighting Aotearoa (a long white cloud) - New Zealand.
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Inside Aoraki the carvings include not only Māori ancestors, such as Ranginui (the sky father), Hipo (Captain of the waka, Arai Te Uru), Waewae (an explorer of the West Coast), and important warriors, explorers and tribal leaders...
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...but also the European ancestors Abel Tasman - Dutch, the first European sighted the land of New Zealand on 13 December 1642, but after a bloody encounter with Māori in Golden Bay, he left without going ashore.
The land Tasman sighted was named after his hometown in the Netherlands as Nieuw Zeeland. |
Captain James Cook, the English navigator, sighted New Zealand on 6 October 1769, and landed at Poverty Bay two days later. He claimed it for Great Britain.
He drew detailed and accurate maps of the country, and wrote about the Māori people. |
Rēhua Marae, located in Springfield Road, St Albans, Christchurch, is another centre for recreation, social occasions and worship.
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Maori carving can be found not just in marae, but also in museum, art gallery, schools and main public buildings around New Zealand.
Maori culture is absolutely worth experiencing while you are learning English or travelling in New Zealand. |
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