The Maori people are sometimes called "Polynesians." This is because they are related to the people of the islands of the South Pacific Ocean: Fiji, Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tongo. The Maori, however, live in New Zealand, a pair of islands far away from the other islands in the South Pacific. Many people have asked why the Maori live so far from other Polynesians. According to their history, the Maori who originally lived on several of the Polynesian islands left their homes to explore other islands of the South Pacific Ocean. Legend says that the Maori left the island of Samoa in seven boats and traveled across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand. The boats landed on the northern island. This was the beginning of New Zealand Polynesian culture, called Maori.
A Polynesian explorer named Kupe discovered and named the islands Aotearoa, which means "the land of the long white cloud." The migration of many Polynesian people to New Zealand occurred between the tenth and the fourteenth centuries.
When the Maori arrived in what is today New Zealand, they faced a cooler climate and a terrain consisting of dense forests, volcanoes, and mountains. They found large deposits of jade, a green precious stone. Their new environment required them to make changes in their dress and shelter. They used the fibers of the flax plant from the forests to make their clothing, which they called "kakahu." The skirt of their clothing is called a "piupiu." They also wore a jade necklace called a "tiki." Many women also wore earrings made from sharks’ teeth. The Maori used wood from the trees in the forest to make their homes and build canoes. They chose the colors red, black, and white to represent their culture.
Maori Music
The Maori people have valued two main kinds of chanting for hundreds of years: chant that involves reciting certain words for social and religious reasons and chant that involves singing. Continuous singing without a break is the goal in Maori singing groups for both purposes. Singers take breaths at different times to maintain a constant flow of music.
Sometimes two Maori priests will recite special words very quickly on one note for certain ceremonial purposes. With two priests singing, there is not a break in the music. Other recited songs are for responding to social situations, such as a disagreement, and may be sung by a group on one note. These recitations are usually in duple meter and may include syncopated rhythms. On occasions for battle or for welcoming guests, a group of singers may recite special words in a solo-response fashion. This kind of reciting may include special stances and postures, shouting, grimacing, and sticking out the tongue. The first Europeans who were greeted in this way were probably not entirely sure if they were welcome or not!
Maori songs are sung by groups in unison with a leader who chooses the starting pitch and the tempo for the song. Maori people sing when mourning the dead or expressing sadness in love. There are Maori songs for everyday occasions. Children’s songs include lullabies and teaching songs. Everyone sings in Maori culture.
A big wooden gong used in war, to warn a Maori village of danger, or to call a town meeting. Wooden war trumpets were used in battle by Maori warriors. A special Maori jew’s harp that allows the player to sing words softly while playing is a favorite of anyone wishing to charm his or her beloved. Maori children enjoy swinging the bullroarer around on its cord. It produces a low, booming sound.
Maori Dance
In many Maori dances, the movements consist of moving the arms, stamping the feet, and making quivering motions with the fingers and hands. Other dances use poi balls, which are twirled and whirled to imitate the sounds of oars on the water, birds flying, and water dashing against the rocks. The original poi balls were made of a white pod that was attached to a long or short braided flax fiber.
Many of the songs and recitations in Maori culture involve some kind of special movements. A more recent kind of movement is the "action song," which uses Maori words and movements, but Western European popular melodies.
