A Mäori Welcome

To officially welcome the midyear intake students into the College of Education at the University of Canterbury, a Pōwhiri Welcome Ceremony was organized on Monday, July 14^th, 2008 before lunchtime. It was at this ceremony I would get a first glimpse of New Zealand’s native culture.

The Mäori are the Natives of New Zealand and have lived on this land far before the arrival of the British. Of course, the British, thinking they were all superior, tried to destroy the Mäori culture and language, and assimilate its people. They failed. The Treaty of Waitangi of 1840 guaranteed the existence and autonomy of the Mäori way of life and the teaching of its culture in the school system so that New Zealanders would be more aware and understanding. However, because the English and Maori versions of the treaty differ, it has created frustration when it came to interpretation and implementation. The British New Zealanders only honoured the treaty for less than a year, leading to many Maori uprisings and rebellions. There still exists a very rocky relationship between Maori and the British settlers because of this treaty and British imperial ambitions. This reminds me of the rocky relationship between English & French Canadians.

If Canada only had one Native tribe to deal with, my guess is that the school system would have followed the path of New Zealand, but the presence of many First Nations made that impossible. Instead, it's French language & culture that is stressed in the system, not First Nations. How sad.

The Pōwhiri is a short ceremony that follows a certain traditional format. My only complaint is that we were instructed on the format of the ceremony and not given any sheets with the Mäori speeches translated into English. All what I and the other mid-year students could do was pretend to understand what was being said.

The College faculty and February intake students were the Tangata whenua, meaning greeters. The midyear intake students were the Manuhiri, or newcomers.

The Pōwhiri began with a Karanga. A Call of Welcome is given by a woman from the Tangata Whenua which is responded by a woman representing the Manuhiri. As the Karangas are being exchanged, the Manuhiri were escorted into the auditorium and stood in front of designated seats before being asked to sit. The Tangata Whenua & Manuhiri sit on opposite sides of the auditorium facing each other.

Next came the Whaikörero, a Speech of Welcome given in Mäori by a male speaker from the Tangata Whenua. The welcome concluded with a Waiata – a song of support. A male student, who spoke Maori, then gave a speech on behalf of the Manuhiri and that as well concluded with a Waiata, entitled E Tu Kahikatea. Kahikatea is a kind of tree. (And let’s just say, I sang so well that no one could hear me.) It’s a short song with only 4 lines:

E tu Kahikatea
Hei whakapae ururoa
Awhi mai awhi atu
Tatou tatou e [x2]

Stand tall Kahikatea
Spreading out across the horizon
Embrace me, embrace others
All of us together [x2]

After singing that twice came the final part, the Hongi & Haririu, the exchanging of the traditional greeting which is the pressing of the noses and the shaking of hands. Luckily we only had to do it to the faculty or else we would have spent a good 15 minutes exchanging the greeting with all the February intake students. The shaking of hands is supposed to symbolize the passing of Mauri, or life force.

With the ceremony over, we were treated to a barbecue outside the auditorium. Since I was part of the group the ceremony was directed, I was unable to take any pictures. However, I was reassured that I would be part of the Tangata Whenua in 6 months, greeting the February intake students, so maybe I’ll have a chance then.