Maori culture is the traditional cultural practices which involve customs and beliefs of Maori People of New Zealand. Moreover, Maori Culture beliefs and history is originated from Eastern Polynesian culture. If you are curious to know the culture of New Zealand than this article is for you.
Maori culture is also widely known as the art of living, and it is famous all over the world. We have listed some of the cultural facts, beliefs, history, and rituals in this topic, follow the article till the end.
Maori Culture Facts
If you are interested in Maori cultural facts, then you will know most of them. Maori Culture is the first culture that settled in New Zealand.
1. Every Maori Tattoo is very Unique
Ta moko is the traditional form of tattooing in the Maori Culture. Also, Ta moko tattoos are unique for every person. Each tattoo has hidden knowledge and genealogy.
Maori tribe use the sharp bone to create beautiful and awesome tattoos. However, nowadays, the tattoo artist uses an electronic device that creates color pigment in the body. Most of the tattoo house in New Zealand offers in Maori designs.
2. Haka: War Dance
If you know one thing about Maori culture, it is probably the Haka. A convincing chant seen at the start of the New Zealand rugby sport is often considered to be a dance of battle.
Moreover, While it was often used for that reason, several forms of Haka are used for various occasions, from funerals to tribe encouragement. The Haka has, in itself, a fascinating history. Former President Barack Obama came up close to a few native New Zealanders personally back in 2018.
In the 1300s, the first Maori arrived in New Zealand. The evidence from where the Maori first came is unknown. However, it is believed that the Maori culture was established in New Zealand during the first voyages.
Read More: Rape Culture: Ways You Can Stand Against It
4. Maori Food
Hangi is one of the Maori civilization most popular and delicious food where meat and vegetable are slowly cooked underground.
Also, there are plenty of ways to try Hangi, particularly in Rotorua, with the greatest experience of Maori tourism.
5. Hongi
Maori Greet by pressing forehead and noses together, and hongi is the way of greeting. Two people press their forehead and nose together briefly, closing their eyes and breathing profoundly, part of the culture.
It’s more than greeting it’s about sharing “breath of life” in which two soul meetings take place.
The Maori – New Zealand’s History
Polynesian people from south-east Asia were the predecessors of Māori. Some researchers have tracked New Zealand immigrants who came from China, passing through Taiwan, the South Pacific, and Aotearoa (New Zealand).
On the other hand, anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl claims that the Polynesians came from America rather than the East. Heyerdahl based his hypothesis on the fact that kumara, the pre-European New Zealand Māori’s staple cultivated food product, comes from Central South America.
Furthermore, Polynesian forbears lived in the Bismarck Archipelago, east of New Guinea, around thirty thousand years ago. Besides, Polynesian culture began to grow from the Bismarck archipelago to the east around 3500 years ago.
There are still no exact reasons for this expansion. Some Polynesians were in the South Pacific central, while others went over Tahiti and almost definitely reached the home of kumara in South America.
Also, in New Zealand, the exact date of the Polynesian settlement is unknown, while scholars had previously believed that the time and circumstances were between AD 950–1130, the first settlement of Polynesian.
Also See: Culture Shock: Its Stages, Example, Symptoms, and Prevention
