Written By Jade and Bridget
Maori Cultural Immersion
Kia Ora
Ko Catskills ngā maunga
Ko Hudson te awa
Nō Ironi nō Italia me New York ahau
Ko Jade Marsigliano ahau
Tīhei Mauri Ora!!
Kia Ora
Ko Shenandoah ngā maunga
Ko Potomac te awa
Nō Oui Oui me D.C. ahua
Ko Bridget Scully ahua
Tīhei Mauri Ora
Oct. 17
After a long day of travel to Auckland, we finally make our way to our home for the next five days in Whaīngaroa at the Kokiri. Upon arrival we must be officially welcomed to stay on the land. We entered through ,a gateway carved with honored faces assessing us. We then walk towards our host Tiaki, Madison and their whanau (family) with the women leading the walk, later the men are seated in front of the women. Tiaki then greeted us in the tradition Maori language. Cole, our male leader of the week, represented our group through an intention speech. After his words Eden, our female leader of the week, lead us in a verse of Stand By Me. Finally presented a bouquet of flowers to our hosts, by placing it between our group and the Moari present. Graciously they accepted our gift and we were welcome onto the land. The final tradition of the ceremony was to share food with our new community.
Oct. 18
Together we stand hand in hand at the base of Wairenga watching and listening to our surroundings, a sacred place for Moari people. We had the honor to participate in a ceremony led by Tiaki and Madison. At first we were only aware of the numbing feeling of the water on our feet, we quickly realized it was much more than that. We dove deeper into our hiwa-i-te-rangi, part of te Tuakiri, where we could reflect on the entirety of our selves and surroundings, te Tuakiri. Our connections within ourselves and our surroundings were brought to the surface. Our journey did not start at the base of Wairenga, but from our first steps onto the land. The power of Wairenga led many to be moved emotionally. The walk down pushed everyone to think beyond themselves. After 261 steps down we continued our experience in the water. Once we opened our eyes, we silently made our way out of the water and shared a life breath together.
Our afternoon was spent learning our mehi, how to introduce ourselves in Maori. We learned through a technique that bans speaking English. You can only speak Maori and there were pictures that represented the sound of the word. Bridget and Jade wrote this blog and we wrote our mehi at the top. By the end of the session we were all able to say our mehi and shared it with the group.
Oct. 19
The Maori peoples have sacrificed and fought for their land and culture. There is no greater honor than to learn about their history, as we did today. We had the privilege of meeting Angeline, daughter of ?. Angeline has continued her mothers work and fought for the rights back to their land and way of life, that was wrongfully taken from them. In the afternoon we helped load a transport truck with whakairo. They are traveling to a museum were they will represent Maori culture. After the truck left we headed to a field and planted native trees together. This experience has been another way for us to connect to our surroundings. We got some energy out by going to a kickboxing class with our teacher, Jade (not the student).
Oct. 20
After a day full of meaningful discussions with our hosts. We had breakfast for dinner, followed by learning a traditional Maori dance, the Haka. We met our teachers for the night, Kimo and Maraina. They started by explaining the origins of the Haka, and its importance of it in Aotearoa. First we learned the lyrics which were powerful and brought us together as a group. To learn our parts we separated into two groups, boys with Kimo and girls with Madison and Maraina, full of laughs and haka lyrics we practiced over and over until we got it down. We performed for each other, girls going first and boys following loudly. Once we stopped our laughter and applause, we joined together for the full experience of dancing a haka. The night was full of laughter and excitement, Kimo and Maraina were knowledgeable and so ecstatic to teach us about their culture.
Oct. 21
We started the day by saying goodbye to Kokiri, and drove the short distance to the Institute of Awesome. We got a brief background of the Institute and how it has been built into what it is today. After a crazy lunch of finding whatever leftover food we had, we drove to Karioi. The mountain, Karioi, was once used for rites of passage by the Maori. Before starting the climb we stop at a overlook of a beautiful gorge with a sad history. From the viewpoint you can see the ocean, Whangaroa. The history of this place has deep roots for the Maori people and is being used for rites of passages again after years of no rights. The climb was steep and slippery from the mud, however we are in good moods and enjoying the fresh air. Once we reach a spot Tiaki likes we have a short talk about reindigeonizing people not just here in Aotearoa but all over the world. At the end of our talk on the mountain we all head off to find a space where we can be alone and connect with our surrounding and ourselves. The time spent on Karioi was peaceful and a beautiful moment to spend with each other, ourselves and the world around us. On the way down the peaceful mood is lifted to a goofy mood, the trail was slippery on the way up, going down was a whole different experience. Half of us wound up on our asses, but some where able to make it down without taking a bath in the mud.
To wrap up the day we were divided into groups by our Oversea Educators and sent into town, with money, to get dinner. Every group found their own restaurant and had a great evening with people they may not talk to as much. We are close and our time in Aotearoa, so far has built the group relations further.
Oct 22.
The week was long and full of excitement, so Saturday was a calmer day. We headed over to Tiaki’s home to spend the day with him and his whanau. We also met Timoti, a friend of Tiaki’s. Tim taught us how to start a fire with a spindle and a flat piece of wood, after many tries Ben and Charlie were able to start our fire which would burn for the rest of the day. It was a day to relax, but not for the whole day. In the afternoon we worked alongside our hosts, in their garden. Some of us planted potato’s while others made a beautiful lasagna, out of compost. After working for a couple hours we played games and enjoyed spending time together. We also had a snack of sausage and sweet potatoes roasted over the fire. It was a much needed day of relaxation and beautiful views.
So far our Maori experience has been something none of us will forget anytime soon. It has brought us closer together and connected us to ourselves and our surroundings. Tiaki and Madison sharing their experience and culture with us has been an honor, along with Angeline, Kimo, Maraina and everyone we got to know and learn from. We are very excited for the week ahead of us and for the rest of our time in Aotearoa.
Haka:
Kia rite! Kia rite! Kia Mau!
Hī!
Ringa ringa pakia!
Waewae takahia kia kino nei hoki
Kia kino nei hoki
Kia mate, Kia mate
Kia ora, Kia ora
Kia mate, Kia mate
Kia ora, Kia ora
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru
Nāna I tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
A Upane! Ka Upane!
A Upane Kaupune!
Whiti te rā!
Hī!
