Rather than spending the night in a hostel, everyone on the bus signed up for a cultural night in marae accommodation (tribal meeting place). I was really interested in witnessing and experiencing the Maori culture.
On the bus across to Maketu, Mud recounted the words of the haka. It’s not something I would ever be able to remember but repeating back after each sentence was easy enough.
Mud added that our host will expect a hearty welcome from the bus. This meant shouting, “Kia Ora (welcome) Uncle Boy,” at the top of our voices. We had a little practice as there was plenty of time to burn.
The bus was ready in waiting as we pulled up to our accommodation. Mud went in to let our hosts know that we had arrived. We greeted Uncle Boy who smiled his appreciation in return.
We were ushered in and shown around. Everyone crowded around the tea and coffee facilities to ward off the cold.
Before the night’s events unfolded, Uncle Boy briefed us on what to expect and the etiquette that’s involved in this. He was very honest and to the point about what would happen if we conducted ourselves incorrectly. It is understandable that we are there as guests and that the tribe’s traditions should be acknowledged.
Uncle Boy tells it like it is.
Once the formalities were out of the way, it was dinner time. Uncle Boy had prepared a hangi meal (buffet) for us. There was plenty of food to go around despite our large group of 23. There was lamb and chicken with stuffing and mint sauce as accompaniments. Fish was another option too and potatoes, peas, pumpkin and salad were also laid out for us.
Even though I was at the back of the room, I managed to be the first one up. People were queuing up by the salad bowls but I went straight for the meat.
The food was top notch and I made sure I complimented Uncle Boy on the exquisite lamb. Everything was cooked to perfection and I went back for seconds. I didn’t fill my plate up too much as there was dessert in the form of pavlova. I was full and happy.
For the next couple of hours we had time to let our food settle and relax. In the meantime, Uncle Boy introduced us to a local Maori tattoo artist who was available for consultations.
I’ve been thinking about getting another tattoo for a few years now but had no idea what to get. I wanted something really meaningful. This trip has definitely been an experience I want to remember and cherish so a tattoo relating to this part of my life would be perfect.
As I’ve been travelling I keep running ideas through my brain but nothing seems to stick. The Maori concept of tattooing is exactly what I’ve been wanting. Each tattoo is made up of a combination of meanings relating to your life. You can include elements to represent your family, struggle, pain, strength, money…anything! Once you’ve set the tone for the piece and describe what you want, the tattoo artist asks a series of questions to truly gauge your mind-set. From this, they design a tattoo. What’s more, gaps are included so you’re able to add to the piece as time goes by.
It ticked all the boxes for me and it’s something that I’d keep in mind for the future. As my time in New Zealand is so active and erratic, getting a tattoo might impede on this.
The time had come for the welcome ceremony. The oldest male member of our group, Rob (American), was automatically selected to be the chief of our tribe. To us, he was no longer Rob, but Chief, and we had to follow his rulings. We were lucky in that we had a kind Chief who did not order people around or demand things from us. It’s a lot of power to have but it didn’t go to his head.
Our task during the ceremony was to make sure that we didn’t laugh or smile at any point during the ceremony as it’s deemed as offensive.
We all walked through to the meeting room. Our Chief stepped forward and waited. Two male tribal members did everything they could to intimidate our Chief. They spun their spears, hissed, whooped and contorted their faces. Our Chief faired very well and a token was produced in the form of a leaf. If our Chief stepped on it, over it or ignored it we would be in big trouble as this is a major insult against our tribal hosts. Thankfully our Chief accepted the token and the ceremony ended.
I would not want to mess with these guys!
After our Chief accepted the token, the tribe ended the ceremony with a song and dance.
To confirm that one tribe had accepted the other, each of us went round and traditionally greeted everyone. The hongi involved shaking the other person’s hand and leaning into each other until our noses touched.
Getting up, close and personal with everyone in the room.
We all sat to the side whilst the tribe performed a series of songs for us. Towards the end, the girls performed using poi and the guys performed the haka. The latter was very intense, the result being scratch marks and reddening of the skin on their chests and thighs.
It was our turn next! The girls learnt the poi and the guys trained for the haka. Once we sort of knew it, we performed in front of each other.
What the guys had to learn for the haka.
What the girls had to learn.
Despite our large group, everyone got involved which was great. It made me lose my inhibitions and I wasn’t nervous at all about the performance.
During our practice session, one of the girls teaching us asked everyone to scream one at a time. I certainly wasn’t the loudest but I made sure I gave it my all. It didn’t seem to serve much purpose at the time and we moved on to learning the lyrics and dance.
It was surprisingly difficult shaking your hips to the beat, singing and waving a string with a ball on the end of it. The tune was easy enough to learn as it was the same as the classic song My Guy.
Before we performed, the two people with the loudest screams were told that they would be leading the tribe in the performance. They had to shout – “Ki te poi!” – as loudly as they could. One of the girls backed out as she didn’t like being put on the spot. Everyone looked around at each other and nobody would step forward. I wondered what the big deal was but waited to see if anyone else wanted to lead. There wasn’t so I volunteered.
I donned a tribal dress and shouted on cue. After a few practices we were ready…well sort of!
The guys performed the haka first which was hilarious. I didn’t laugh too hard as it was my turn next.
We performed our song twice – once with me at the front and the other with the second girl leading. Everyone felt ridiculous but because we were all in the same boat, it was a good laugh.
I had to dress for the occasion.
Leader of the pack.
The night was rounded off with a final performance from our teachers followed by group photos.
Strike a pose...
This was us trying to be all scary-like and intimidating. Hmm.
We set up our beds in the main room - a simple mattress on the floor – and the group split off to do various things.
As there were only two showers, I gave that one up for the night and chatted away in the cafeteria. The unavoidable subject of careers came up again. It’s the moment where I get all embarrassed and shrug my shoulders when I say that I have no idea what I want to do or where my life is heading. People are always encouraging but I never feel better about myself afterwards.
In a perfect world, I’d end my travels and become a published writer but, to me, it feels like I’m saying I want to fly or be the Queen for the day. It’s not something that I see as feasibly possible.
At least it’s not something that I need to worry about too much right now. I have plenty of activities to keep me occupied in New Zealand and two more countries to visit. The adventure continues…
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