Maorit Anga

Maorit Anga is Maori culture:the Maori way of life and view of the world,Maoritanga is a growing and changing part of life in Aotearoa (New Zealand).Maori have adopted many aspects of western culture as their own,and more and more New Zealanders now share in the riches of Maori heritage.

Origins  Maori believe their ancestors,and all living things in the world,were descended from the beginning,and were stifled in the close embrace of their father,Ranginui,the sky,and their mother Papa-tua-nuku, the earth .The brother gods tried to separate their parents and Tane,who succeeded,became creator of the bush,the trees and all the creatures living there.From the earth,Tane also created Hine-ahu-one ---the first woman---breathing a life force into her. Their daughter,Hine-titama,also bore Tane’s children,not knowing that he was her own father. From them all people were descended.

Traditional History The hero Maui came later.There are many stories of his premature birth:how he was thrown into the sea and survived,and was raised by his grandfather until he returned to his family.Maui was a rogue but,with his magic powers,brought great benefits to the people of his time.He slowed the sun,to make the days longer,and he unlocked the secrets of fire.He fished the North Island-Aotearoa-out of the sea,as he did many other islands in Polynesia ,but was killed seeking immortality for all humankind.

Most Maori people can trace descent from the chiefs of Hawaiki who sailed to Aotearoa in ocean—going sailing canoes.Aotearoa had been discovered by the great explorer Kupe who passed on sailing directions when he returned to Hawaiki.Archaeological evidence supports Maori oral traditions and genealogical records which suggest Kupt lived about 1200 years ago.The colonists from Hawaiki—probably situated in the area now known as French Polynesia—found other Polynesian people already living in Aotearoa.The voyagers inter-married with them and established a tribal society in which kinship and links with land are key elements.

Society  The marae---the meeting house and land around it is the focus of Maori community life.The land and buildings are the venue for major social,political and ceremonial occasions.The meeting house synthesizes many aspects of Maori design and craft:the structure itself has a human form and is named after an ancestor,and it signifies the unity of the tribal land holding from which tribal identity and mana(prestige)are derived.The whole marae operates according to democratic principles which have evolved from the strict codes of behavior that governed every aspect of traditional life.

Today, the majority of Maori people live away from the marae.Many live and work in cities and must make special efforts to maintain social and cultural links with their Maori heritage.It is especially difficult for younger people who are two or three generations removed from tribal lands and lifestyle.The decline of Maori language especially since the Second World War,Is an indicator of the stress affecting the Maori community.

Nevertheless,Maori have succeeded in maintaining their distinctive identity,their Maoritanga,and these traditions are the springboard for the current resurgence of Maori culture.

Treaty of Waitangi  Modern New Zealand was founded with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.The Treaty was an agreement between Maori chiefs and the British Crown.Under the Treaty’s first article,Maori people ceded to make Queen of England the right to make laws,in exchange ofr the promise of the second aritcle that Maori signatories retain the “tino rangatiratanga”(full,exclusive and undisturbed possession,or “home rule”) over their lands,forests,fisheries and other treasures possessions.Should Maori owners wish to sell their holdings,only the Crown has the right to buy.Under the third article,Maoris were guaranteed all the rights and privileges of British subjects.

Race Relations  The Treaty of Waitangi was an instrument designed to bring law and order to the anarchic trading settlements and to protect Maori rights in dealings with the settlers.It reflected the liberal attitudes prevailing in Britain at that time.When Maori people began to restrict land sales,however,the Government came under pressure from the increasing number of British settlers.Relations deteriorated and war broke out in the early 1860s.In the years that followed,Maori self—determination was replaced by assimilation as the underlying philosophy of race relations.Large—scale loss of land and mana severely depressed the Maori.

Around the turn of the century,several Maori leaders used their knowledge of the law and positions in Parliament to satisfy some Maori needs within a Pakeha (European) legal framework.Rural Maori communities were revitalized,but Maori still had little influence on the mainstream of New Zealand life.

The Second World War was another turning point.A high proportion of eligible men voluteered for the Maori Battalion and fought with distinction in North Africa and Southern Europe.After the war,Maori workers moved to the cities to earn a living using skills they had acquired helping the war effort.The urban migration brought problems,but it greatly increased public awareness of Maori culture.

It also brought a Maori “pro test movement”from the relative seclusion of the rural marae into the public eye.Beginning in the 1970s,and mainly among younger urban Maori,the protest movement gained wider support and publicity with the Maori Land March to Parliament in 1975.Several land rights occupations,marches and protests followed culminating in the Government’s creation of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975.Originally designed to address Maori grievances under the Treaty of Waitangi from the time of the tribunal’s establishment,its brief was expanded in 1985 to include grievances dating back to 1940.This brought a dramatic increase in claims and these are now being deliberated upon.

Language and Culture  From the early 1970s there was a marked increase in the number of students,both Maori and non—Maori ,studying Maori in schools and universities.The most successful Maori initiative in education has been the establishment of over 500 Maori pre—school groups,called kohanga reo.In these,Maori language,customs and values are  acquired naturally by pre—school children from their elders.The 1980s have also seen the advent of schools operating totally in Maori Kura Kaupapa Maori.A Maori Language Commission has been established to foster and preserve the use of Maori and broadcasting in Maori,both on radio and television,has become more significant with government recognition of Maori as an official language.All of these events have given Maori people new hope for the future of their language and culture.

Multi—tribal marae have been built in many cities,this traditional intitution being adapted to modern circumstances with outstanding success.Maori Trust Boards and Incorporations of landowners have successfully diversified from conventional pastoral farming into horticulture ,tourism and manufacturing.A sound economic base is considered an essential adjunct to Maori cultural resurgence.

posted on 2007-08-12 12:46 C4047 阅读(288) 评论(4)  编辑  收藏 所属分类: 每周一篇(美文欣赏) 网摘收藏