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If New Zealand is on your travel bucket list, learning about the Māori community will provide you with a deeper understanding of the nation's history, culture, and lifestyle.
As one of the earliest inhabitants of the island nation, the Māori offer a unique window into what life was like in New Zealand before modern times.
However, there’s much more to the Māori than what traditional history books reveal. To uncover the hidden gems of their culture, dive into this guide, which shares ten lesser-known facts about the Māori people of New Zealand.
10. The Māori Were Not the Original Settlers of New Zealand
Although the Māori are among the oldest tribes in New Zealand, they were not the first settlers. Between 1000 and 1600, the Moriori, an earlier group, journeyed from New Zealand’s South Island to settle in the Chatham Islands.
The Chatham Islands were harsh and nearly uninhabitable, yet the Moriori persevered, adapting their clothing, diets, and even military strategies to survive in the challenging environment.
This way of life continued for centuries until the Māori arrived, bringing drastic changes. The Māori sought dominance through violence, killing many Moriori, seizing their land, and enslaving the survivors.
In a darker turn, cannibalism became widespread, serving as another method for the Māori to eliminate the Moriori. This history underscores the Māori’s formidable reputation.
9. Visiting a Marae Requires an Invitation
The marae serves as a sacred gathering place specifically for the Māori community. These communal structures feature areas dedicated to education, religion, and social interaction, where tribe members can dine, rest, and connect.
The marae also acts as a spiritual hub for the Māori, allowing them to honor their ancestors. Often, the front of the building displays intricate carvings called Koruru, symbolizing the tribe's ancestral leaders. These carvings include long beams resembling arms, adorned with fingers or raparapa, supported by amo or legs that uphold the structure.
To gain entry into a marae, a personal invitation from a tribe member is required. A traditional powhiri ceremony is conducted to formally welcome visitors into the Māori community.
The powhiri ceremony begins with the wero, a ritual performed by Māori warriors to challenge the guests. This act, though intense, is not meant to intimidate. The ceremony typically involves shared singing between guests and the Māori, culminating in the presentation of a token to accepted visitors before they enter the marae.
8. The Māori Practice a Unique Religion
Historically, the Māori people worshipped a variety of gods and spiritual entities. However, in the late 1820s, significant shifts occurred in their religious beliefs, moral values, and political ideologies, largely influenced by the arrival of European missionaries who introduced Christianity.
By the mid-1840s, a growing number of Māori were participating in church services led by missionaries. Today, the Anglican Church, known as Te Hāhi Mihinare, represents the largest Christian denomination among the Māori, who incorporate their own cultural practices into their faith.
The Māori tradition includes a pantheon of spiritual beings, some of the most well-known being:
- Lo—The supreme deity
- Papa and Rangi—The primordial parents
- Haumia—Deity of wild foods
- Rongo—Deity of farming and peace
- Ruaumoko—Deity of seismic activity
- Tawhirimatea—Deity of storms and weather
- Tane—Deity of forests and nature
- Tangaroa—Deity of the ocean
- Whiro—Deity of darkness and malevolence
While these beliefs may seem unusual to modern audiences, many Māori continue to hold spiritual traditions close to their hearts.
7. Māori Warriors Adorned Their Tongues with Blue for Combat
The Māori tribe is renowned for its fierce warriors, frequently involved in intense battles.
In popular YouTube videos, you might observe these warriors protruding their tongues in a menacing expression, a customary strategy employed to confront adversaries. This act symbolizes courage and defiance.
By displaying their tongues, they convey their readiness to engage in a fierce and unrelenting fight, effectively intimidating their enemies with their sheer ferocity.
Why do these warriors choose to color their tongues blue? While blue typically signifies calm and serenity, for Māori warriors, it represents their desire for peace amidst the chaos of endless warfare.
So, there’s no need to be alarmed if you encounter a blue-tongued warrior today!
6. The Māori Language is Far from Monolithic
The Māori language carries a rich history tied to the tribe’s origins. The Māori people originally migrated from Polynesia to New Zealand in the 14th century.
It wasn’t until the 19th century, with the arrival of European settlers, that the Māori language diversified into multiple dialects influenced by Polynesian roots.
Centuries of isolation allowed the Māori to develop a distinct language, with regional dialects forming across different parts of New Zealand.
The primary language, Te Rao Māori, is divided into three main dialects within the tribe. These dialects include:
- Eastern Dialect of the North Island
- Western Dialect of the North Island
- Dialect of the South Island
Today, only the Eastern and Western dialects of the North Island remain in active use. Younger generations of Māori have also started blending these dialects, particularly in urban settings.
5. Traditional Māori Tattoos Didn’t Use Ink
Prior to European colonization, Māori tattoos, known as tā moko, were not created with ink. Instead, the intricate designs were chiseled directly into the skin.
The traditional tattooing technique involved specialized combs with broad teeth and varying chisel blades. For the Māori, this practice holds deep spiritual significance, particularly for facial tattoos. The chisel blades were coated with a dark pigment, and using tā or small mallets, the comb was repeatedly tapped into the skin. The pigments typically consisted of soot derived from burning white pine or kahikatea.
A fascinating feature of these tattoos is their uniqueness. This reflects the belief that every individual possesses distinct wisdom, ancestry, and status within the tribe.
If you ever meet someone with a Māori tattoo, it’s worth inquiring about its meaning. You might discover a captivating story!
4. The Māori Initially Lacked a Written Language
Before European contact, the Māori relied solely on oral traditions and carvings to preserve their history, as they had no written language.
In the early decades of European settlement, the Māori language was the primary means of communication. To engage in trade, settlers had to learn to speak it.
As the European population grew, the need for written communication emerged. In 1814, Māori missionaries made the first attempts to write the language, and by 1820, a Cambridge University professor helped systematize it.
That same year, missionaries in New Zealand began teaching each other to read and write in Māori. They used unconventional materials like leaves, charcoal, carved wood, and even animal hides due to the lack of paper.
Today, the Māori language has been adapted to modern writing systems. While animal hides are no longer necessary, the language continues to thrive in contemporary forms.
3. The Māori Practiced a Distinct Burial Tradition
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Māori culture revolves around a sacred tradition for the deceased, rather than the living. This tradition, known as Tangihanga, was a significant burial practice among the Māori.
The deceased’s body is anointed with oil and red ochre, then positioned upright with arms wrapped around the legs and knees drawn to the chin. Once arranged, the body is draped in cloaks and mats and placed in the meeting house for several days, allowing the community to pay their respects.
Following the initial rites, the body is interred in a shallow grave or cave. After a period ranging from days to weeks, it is exhumed, and the bones are meticulously cleaned and scraped. Further mourning ceremonies are held in the Marae, and the bones are eventually buried in secret locations.
This tradition is still observed by some Māori today, although Western-style burials have also become common.
2. Captain Cook’s Initial Arrival Was Met with Resistance
Captain Cook’s initial encounter with the Māori did not go smoothly. In 1769, a cultural misunderstanding led to one of Cook’s men fatally shooting Te Maro, a Ngāti Oneone leader. What the Māori intended as a ceremonial challenge was misinterpreted as an act of aggression by the Europeans.
Fortunately, this incident did not define their relationship. Despite the rocky start, peace was eventually established. A day after the shooting, Captain Cook and Tupaia, a priest, engaged in a diplomatic dialogue with the locals. The Māori welcomed Cook with a hongi, a sacred gesture involving the exchange of breath, and presented him with a sacred rock. This moment marked a pivotal early interaction between the two cultures.
While political tensions between the Māori and Pakeha persist today, the foundation of peaceful beginnings has had a lasting influence on their shared history.
1. Māori Culinary Traditions Are Handed Down Through Generations
Before the advent of written language, the tribe’s recipes were preserved through oral tradition. Remarkably, many of these recipes continue to be used and celebrated today.
A prime example of this is Rewena bread, a distinctive loaf rooted in Māori tradition and handed down through generations. Similar to sourdough, Rewena is a potato-based bread that relies on fermented potatoes instead of yeast, giving it a denser texture. For the ultimate treat, enjoy it warm with butter or jam.
When in New Zealand, Rewena bread is widely available in bakeries. However, for an authentic experience, visit Jackson’s Rewena Bread in Whanganui. This bakery specializes in Māori-style Rewena, crafted from a recipe passed down by the owner’s great-grandmother.
