Where do the Maiori people live? maori - new zealand

New Zealand is one of the former colonies where relations between the white Anglo-Saxons (so-called Pakeha) and the indigenous population are relatively calm. At least the indigenous people - the Maori - live there better than the natives in neighboring Australia.

However, the phrase "Maori problem" is known to any New Zealander. However, the indigenous minority itself has an alternative point of view on this issue: they believe that this is more of a problem for the white majority.

The conflict over the India-China border has a long history. Its roots go back to the 50s of the last century. Then, after a ten-year period of good neighborliness and cooperation between India, which gained independence in 1947, and the PRC, which appeared on the political map of the world two years later, the parties faced the prospect of a major war. The reason for this was the events in Tibet in 1959, when Beijing suppressed the speeches of Tibetan Buddhists and thousands of refugees crossed the Indian-Chinese border. Over time, they settled in India. Delhi provided them with comprehensive assistance, received the Dalai Lama and helped him form a government in exile.

No one doubts that the Maori are the autochthonous population of New Zealand. These are the descendants of the first people who settled on these islands two thousand - 700 years ago; the settlement took place in several stages and, despite the fact that the Maori language belongs to the Tahitian branch of the Polynesian group of Austronesian languages, the presence of a variety of elements (still predominantly Austronesian) is possible in ethnogenesis. Like many isolated nationalities, the ethnonym "Maori" can be roughly translated as "ordinary people", it is not associated with any place names, and in the Maori language New Zealand is called Aotearoa. Much less known to the Maori is another indigenous national minority of New Zealand: the Moriori (a people related to the Maori in language, culture and anthropological type) living on the Chatham Islands. There are no more purebred Moriori, but their descendants from mixed marriages do exist. Thus, this is a phantom nation: it is considered to be extinct, nevertheless, at each census, census takers encounter a certain number of people who continue to identify themselves as Moriori.

In New Zealand, before the arrival of the Europeans, there was no single state, and the Maori tribal unions were at enmity with each other; until about the 60-70s of the twentieth century, the Maori were known mainly in connection with the custom of covering almost the entire body with tattoos (from Polynesia and New Zealand to European cultures and the tradition of injecting paint under the skin for aesthetic and other purposes), cannibalism and phenomenal hostility to aliens. The last statement deserves special discussion. The fact is that if we compare the number of whites eaten by New Zealand natives, and the number of Maori destroyed by the British, Dutch and French, then Maori cannibalism looks like a childish prank. Especially when you consider that the Europeans themselves provoked conflicts, choosing petty pretexts for the destruction of entire native villages: for example, a stolen skiff.

Nevertheless, the British at least bothered to sign an agreement on the use of land with the natives, apparently out of fear that the hostile attitude of the Maori could lead them to take the side of France, Britain's main rival in the colonization of the region. The contract was drawn up in the best traditions of modern apartment swindlers, for example, the English and Maori texts were very different from each other. In the future, all armed conflicts between the Maori and the British authorities concerned mainly the land issue. The loss of most of the land by the indigenous population is also associated with a sharp decline in the number of Maori, which occurred in the second half of the 19th century, and the adoption of a significant proportion of the representatives of this people by the European way of life, which meant the actual beginning of assimilation.

However, the Europeanization of the Maori had positive consequences. Penetration into the power structures of the colony by Maori, who received a European education and were fluent in English, made it possible to protect the interests of the indigenous population and achieve real, and not declared, equality with white settlers - pakeha. This is the fundamental difference between the ethnopolitical realities of New Zealand and other colonies of that time, including neighboring Australia, where the aborigines then, according to by and large, did not count as people; in Australia there is still a belief, ostensibly based on scientific evidence, that Aboriginal people, for genetic reasons, cannot learn how to use locks and cannot serve in the army, because they are physically unable to walk in formation.

Thus, the Maori received equal rights with the Anglo-Saxons and the restoration of numbers - in exchange for an identity escaping exponentially. A number of Maori politicians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (in particular, the Young Māori Party, roughly translated as “young Maori”) generally believed that the adoption of the European way of life was a positive phenomenon for their people, although they did not deny the need to preserve their native languages and culture.

Australia, which before the Labor Party came to power led a pro-American policy, is now gradually declining from the American orbit. The position of modern Australia regarding Oceania is not to interfere in the affairs of the island states. On the other hand, Laborites are very active in environmental issues.

From the 60s of the twentieth century to the present moment, there has been a steady increase in the representation of Maori in government bodies, and attempts are being made to restitute the land. However, the assessment of this situation still remains ambiguous: the Maori believe that they “have taken little of their own”, among the Pakeha there is a widespread point of view that the indigenous population is impudent. Therefore, it is impossible to consider the problem of interethnic relations in New Zealand only from one of the two mentioned points of view. Moreover, no matter what privileges the Maori enjoy, their ongoing assimilation is obvious.

Maori currently make up 14% of New Zealand's population. Despite the fact that relations between Pakeha and Maori are certainly better than, for example, between Americans of English origin and Indians, Chinese and Tibetans, Australian Anglo-Saxons and Aborigines, in everyday life Pakeha have a lot of complaints about Maori. In particular, the bitterness of many is caused by the fact that the indigenous population has exclusive rights to use a number of natural resources. In the New Zealand forums on the Internet, readers who speak English can familiarize themselves with the standard set of pakeha claims. “We taught them Western medicine, but they still need land reparations.” “They live better than whites, they may not work at all,” etc. Therefore, the assertion that there is no racism in New Zealand can be considered too bold, even reckless. Outside of New Zealand, they cannot forget the fact that a member of the British royal family Davidina Winsor in 2004 married a New Zealand hard worker, and the newly minted member of the august family is not only of proletarian origin, but also of Maori nationality. In New Zealand itself, by the way, this does not cause such rejection, since there are many mixed marriages, not only between Maori and Anglo-Saxons, but also with immigrants, the influx of which has recently increased there.

The word "pakeha", by the way, used to be offensive and only now has acquired a literary status. This is also not liked by many whites, especially the older generation, who, due to their ignorance of the Maori language, believe that in the original language it means, according to various versions, “white pig”, “bugger”, “sodomite”. However, the New Zealand journalist Jody Ranford deduces the exoethnonym "pakeha" from the ancient Maori words Patupaiarehe, Paakehakeha, Pakepakeha, which were called mythical creatures with white skin and blond hair, living in the ocean.

So, the claims of the Pakeha against the Maori can be formulated as follows:

1. The Maori ate whites, that is, the ancestors of modern Pakeha, because the islands lacked protein food due to overpopulation.

2. Since 1977, the Maori have been abusing the so-called Waitangi Court, which decides on land reparations.

3. Maori is adopted as the second state language, but few people speak it - why is it needed?

4. The Maori exploit natural resources with their exclusive rights to handicrafts.

5. The birth rate among Maori is higher than among whites (the only question is, whose problem is it - Maori or Pakeha?).

6. In conflicts between Maori and Pakeha, the courts often deliberately take the side of the Maori.

Everyone has their own understanding of justice, it can vary even among members of the same family. The textbook phrase of one leader of the African tribe of the Hottentots is known, who, to the eternal question of what is good and what is bad, answered the German researcher: “It’s good when I steal something from a neighbor and he doesn’t see it. And if he steals something from me, then it’s bad.” In our time, ideas about morality have not changed at all, it's just that civilized people, as a rule, do not express them out loud. Therefore, the task of the state in conditions where the indigenous minority lives together with the non-indigenous majority is, first of all, to level the claims of the communities to each other.

From the point of view of the Maori statesmen, "not everything has been resolved yet." In general, the actions of the authorities regarding their nationality no longer cause bitterness among the Maori, however, as the level of human development improves (not to be confused with the standard of living, these are somewhat different things), among the indigenous minority, the phrase “He taonga tuku iho a nga tupuna" (the priceless heritage of our ancestors). With these words, the Maori national intelligentsia wants to show that they will not allow the substitution of eternal values, such as language, culture, blood, land, for material ones - reparations, permits for the exploitation of land resources, etc. The activities of the Young Maori are being rethought in a new way, who consciously introduced their people to European cultural values, the European way of life, words about a gradual return to the traditional pre-colonial way of life are increasingly heard. Against the background of the unprecedented activity of environmental organizations in New Zealand, calling for the abandonment of the benefits of civilization harmful to the environment, this looks quite organic and modern.

Maori culture, despite the growth in the number of Maori themselves, is more of a decorative character. 80% of Maori in everyday life speak English more often than their native language. Only 14% of Maori consider Maori their mother tongue and use it regularly. Only 41% of Maori speak their native language, and many of them speak it worse than English. This means that the quality of teaching the Maori language leaves much to be desired, and in such a language situation among the Maori themselves, it is at least illogical to demand that the Pakeha learn the Maori language. We are talking only about building a two-cultural society, at least among the Maori themselves. Many believe that this is possible only if the land issue is resolved in favor of the Maori and the people return to their traditional occupations.

What, for example, will prevent America from recognizing the independence of all the republics within the Russian Federation (I remind you that there are 21 of them)? And other countries can join this process (at least partially, according to the principle of ethnic proximity). For example, Finland, Hungary and Estonia recognize the independence of Komi, Karelia, Mordovia, Mari El, Chuvashia. Mongolia - Buryatia, Tyva, Khakassia, Yakutia. Turkey - all the North Caucasian republics (except, perhaps, North Ossetia), Tatarstan, Bashkiria, the same Yakutia. So what if in most of these republics there is not even a hint of separatism, there are not even “groups of persons” claiming power in “independent countries”? Recognition itself will cause groups of individuals to appear. We saw how they appeared in the Union republics and how rapidly the USSR collapsed after that.

The objective reality is that a new national community and national identity is being formed in New Zealand: people who identify themselves as Maori, who in most cases have an anthropological type characteristic of Maori, but who were brought up in European culture and speak English. Perhaps this community will become dominant in the country over the next 100-150 years, but the Maori living in their native cultural tradition will still remain in the minority if the situation does not change. Religiously, Maori are also not very different from Pakeha: some of them are Catholics, some are Mormons, the number of Maori who profess paganism is greatly exaggerated, pagan rites are, again, decorative in nature - for tourists.

The situation in New Zealand is very revealing in that it is a model for building a peaceful scheme for the coexistence of an indigenous minority and a non-indigenous majority, in which both communities are mutually integrated. This experience is very interesting, because there are many territories and states in the world that have a colonial past or are autonomous parts of any large state (take, for example, many subjects of Russia).

Maori

Maori are an indigenous people, the main population of New Zealand before the arrival of Europeans. The number of Maori in New Zealand is more than 526 thousand people, approximately 10 thousand people each. live in Australia and the USA. In the Maori language, the word maori means "normal", "natural" or "ordinary". In legends, oral traditions, the Maori word distinguished people from a deity and a spirit. Marai Maori - premises for the general gathering of the tribe.

Previously, European settlers of the islands of New Zealand referred to the aborigines as "Hindus", "aboriginal", "local" or "New Zealanders". Maori remained the self-name of Maori for self-identification. In 1947, the New Zealand government renamed the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs the Ministry of Maori Affairs.

Humans settled New Zealand after settling almost every habitable place on the planet. Archaeological and linguistic studies suggest that several waves of migration arrived from East Polynesia to New Zealand between 800 and 1300 AD.

The Maori were militant and independent. Several pages from history show their character. Abel Tasman, a Dutchman, discovered New Zealand in 1642. Over a century later, it was rediscovered by James Cook. Both provoked bloody skirmishes. In 1762, the French captain Surville, who stopped off the coast of New Zealand, burned an entire Maori village for a stolen skiff. Three years later, Captain Dufresne visited here. He and 16 of his sailors were killed in retaliation for Surville's act. Dufresne's successor burned down three Maori villages and killed over a hundred civilians. These facts forever restored the Maori against aliens from across the ocean.

Abel Tasman named these islands New Zealand. The Maori themselves call their country "Ao Thea Roa" (White Long Cloud). North Island - Te Ika a Maui (Maui Fish), South - Te Waka a Maui (Maui Boat).

At the beginning of the 19th century, whalers began to visit the islands, the Maori acquired firearms, and internecine wars began. To “put things in order” the British came there, the “Maori Wars” began (the most famous is the Flagpole War of 1845-1846). As a result, the British, having gained the upper hand, captured New Zealand.

The need for firearms prompted the Maori tribes to carry out numerous raids on their neighbors in order to obtain mokomokai. In addition, local residents resorted to tattooing slaves and prisoners, whose heads were then exchanged for weapons. The peak of head trading was in 1820-1831. In 1831 the governor of New South Wales announced a ban on head trading outside New Zealand, and during the 1830s, the need for firearms on the islands decreased due to market saturation.

By 1840, when the Treaty of Waitangi was concluded and New Zealand became a British colony, export sales of mokomokai had virtually ceased. At the same time, the mokomokai tradition began to fade among the Maori themselves, although a minor head trade continued for several more years.

Crafts - weaving, basketry, boat building, woodcarving. Boats had 1 or 2 hulls. Wood carving deserves special attention, here it was developed at a high level. New Zealand was rich in trees, there was plenty to carve. Maori carving is complex and virtuoso. The main element of the ornament is a spiral, but it had a lot of options. There were no animistic motives, the main figures in the plots were humanoid. These are the legendary ancestors or deity "tiki". Carvings were used to decorate houses, primarily communal ones, the prow and stern of boats, barns, weapons, sarcophagi, and almost all household items. In addition, the Maori carved statues of their ancestors. Usually such a statue stood in every village.

The traditional settlement (pa) was fortified with a wooden fence and a moat. Houses (fare) were built from logs and boards, unlike other Polynesians. The facade has always faced east. The roof is thatched. Thick layers of straw were also used for the walls. The floor fell below ground level, this was necessary for insulation. New Zealand's climate is colder than Hawaii or Tahiti. For the same reason, Maori clothing differed from the general Polynesian. They made cloaks and capes, women wore long, knee-length skirts. The material was made from New Zealand linen, dog skins and bird feathers were woven into the fabric.

Maori traditional dwelling

In addition to residential buildings, the settlements had communal houses (fare-runanga), entertainment houses (fare-tapere), knowledge houses (fare-kura). In them, experienced craftsmen, priests, artists taught young people.

The main tool in agriculture was a digging stick. Types of weapons - a pole, a cross between a spear and a club (tayaha), a spear (kokiri), a dart (huata). A kind of club (mere) was used - a stone on a rope. Snares were used in hunting. The tool for wood carving and other procedures (also for tattooing) was a jade or jadeite chisel. Clubs (mere) were made from jade. Nature has given the Maori something that is not found in other parts of Polynesia.

Before, cannibalism was widespread. They usually ate the prisoners. There was a belief that the power of the eaten enemy passes to the one who eats it. Another significant tradition is the tattoo, it showed social rank. At the same time, it was an initiation - a test of endurance, since the procedure is painful.

Maori chief with a ta-moko tattoo on his face

Facial tattoos were a traditional element of Maori culture until the middle of the 19th century, when this tradition gradually began to disappear. In pre-European Maori society, they reflected the high social status of the wearer. Traditionally, only men had their faces fully tattooed, although some high-ranking women had tattoos on their lips and chin.

Each tattoo was unique in its kind and contained information about the rank, tribe, origin, profession and exploits of a person. As a rule, making a tattoo was not a cheap hobby, so only leaders or distinguished warriors could afford it. Moreover, the art of tattooing itself, as well as the persons who made them, were considered tapu, that is, they were revered as something sacred, requiring a special protocol.

When a person who had ta-moko tattoos on his face died, his head was usually cut off to save it. To do this, the brain and eyes were removed, and all the holes were filled with either flax fiber or rubber. After that, the head was boiled or steamed in a special oven, and then smoked over an open fire and dried in the sun for several days. Subsequently, the head was treated with shark liver oil. These dried heads, or mokomokai, were kept by the owner's family in carved boxes and pulled out only during sacred ceremonies.

The heads of hostile chiefs who were killed during the battle were also preserved. These mokomokai, considered spoils of war, were paraded on the marae. In addition, they played an important role during the negotiations between the warring tribes: the return and exchange of mokomokai was prerequisite establishing peace.

Maori wood carving

Society was arranged in the same way as in the rest of Polynesia. The same classes stood out here: nobility (rangatira), ordinary community members (tutua), captive slaves (taurekareka). Among the nobility, the leaders (ariki) stood out in particular. Priests (tokhunga) were held in high esteem. The word "tokhunga" was also used to refer to artists (carvers). The community (khapu) consisted of one village and was divided into groups (vanau), that is, 1-2 houses.

In general, Maori culture is different from that of other Polynesians. The reason for this is other natural conditions. In the field of spiritual culture, they preserved a lot of Polynesian, but they also created their own, original heritage.

Mythological, ethnogenetic, genealogical legends, legends about the resettlement of tribes are popular. Maori revere the common Polynesian gods, Tangaroa, Tane, Tu, Rongo. They had a secret cult of Io, the supreme single god, the Creator of the entire universe. Perhaps this cult was created in later times, in opposition to Christianity penetrating here, and possibly existed earlier. In addition to the gods, the Maori pantheon included many secondary characters, spirits, demons, monsters, etc. Ancestors (tupuna) are also revered. At present, there is a syncretic sect - the Pai-Marira.

Maori flag proposed in 1998

Basic concepts: atua - a god or spirit in general, mana - magical power, ponaturi - a demon, a spirit that lives in the ocean, kehua - a ghost, copuvai - a monster with human body and the head of a dog, etc. Tiki - "Polynesian Adam", Hina - "Polynesian Eve". Maui is a culture hero.

New Zealand... The green islands, on whose hills the key episodes of The Lord of the Rings were filmed not so long ago.

General information

This green country is located in the southeastern part of the Pacific region. On two large and a whole placer, consisting of several hundred small islands, New Zealand is spread. The area of the country can be compared with the territories of the Japanese islands or the whole of Great Britain. is about 4.5 million people. The entire administration is located in the capital - Wellington. The government system of the state is a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy. The uniqueness is that it is one of all developed countries that was able to develop its economy exclusively on agriculture. Since November 2008, the country has been ruled by the National Party, headed by John Key, who is the prime minister.

The kingdom includes independent islands that have the same currency - the New Zealand dollar. These are Niue, the territory of Tokelau, which is not self-governing, and the territory of Ross, which lies in the Antarctic zone.

Climate

The people of New Zealand can be quite happy with the climate of their country. The northern part of the North Island is subject to a subtropical climate, while in the mountainous regions, Antarctic winds can bring up to -20 degrees. A chain of high mountains divides the country in two, thereby dividing it into two climatic zones. The wettest part is the western coast of the South Island. Just a hundred kilometers from it, in the east, is the driest part of the state.

In most of the country, precipitation reaches 600-1600 mm annually. This amount is evenly distributed, except during dry summers.

The average annual temperature in the south is +10 degrees, in the north - +16. The coldest month in this country, located on the other side of the equator from us, is July. The average daily temperature is +4-8 degrees, at night it can drop to -7. The warmest months are January and February. The northern part of the country does not have a big difference in temperature according to the time of year, while the southern regions have a difference of up to 14 degrees.

In Auckland - the largest city in the country - the average annual temperature is +15.1 degrees. Thus, in the hottest time, the temperature can rise to +31.1 degrees, while in the coldest it can drop to -2.5. The average annual temperature of Wellington is +12.8 (from -1.9 to +31.1 during the year).

In wind-sheltered areas of the country, the number of hours of sunshine is high. On average, this number is 2000 hours per year. Most of the New Zealand population receives a large amount of solar radiation.

Languages

Three languages can be officially spoken by the population. New Zealand recognizes English, Maori and sign New Zealand. The leading language spoken by 96% of the population remains English. Magazines and newspapers use this language. They are also used by television and radio. The Maori language is the second most important official language. Signs for the deaf became an official language in 2006.

The New Zealand dialect is very close to the Australian, but retained strong influence south of England. Parallel to this, the influence of Irish and Scottish accents is felt in it. The significant influence of the language also had an effect - some words were forever used by the citizens of the country.

The Maori language received official status in 1987. Its use today is mandatory in all institutions. This language is taught in schools. Although most of the educational institutions make it possible to study two at the same time - English and Maori. Many names in the country have roots in the Maori language.

In addition, representatives of more than 170 language groups permanently reside in the country. Samoan, French, Chinese and Hindi are most commonly used. Slavic languages are hardly used on the islands, because the population of New Zealand, for whom they are native, is too small in number.

Religion in New Zealand

The current population of New Zealand is just over 4.5 million. Among them, 56% are Christians. The next largest religions are Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Catholicism and Methodism. Then Sikhs, Hindus and followers of Islam take their place. Approximately 35% of the New Zealand population is made up of undecided members of society who are not inclined to identify themselves with any of the existing religions.

Indigenous people

The indigenous people are the Maori. Previously, before the colonization of the islands by Europeans, representatives of this people were their main inhabitants. Today, about 680 thousand people belonging to this people live all over the world.

In addition to their native places, this tribe inhabits the Australian, Canadian territories, and also lives in the USA, Great Britain and in very small numbers in other countries.

Literally translated from the native language, the word "Maori" means "normal". In ancient times, the people used this concept in order to distinguish a person from a divine creation.

The Maori were the first to inhabit the islands. It is still not clear exactly where these people came from, but they founded their culture, forming a state that they called Aotearoa. These people were excellent seafarers who could travel in small boats in the Pacific Ocean. In the sea, their only guides were the sun and the starry sky. This knowledge helped them to be in New Zealand much earlier than the Europeans. White people were able to discover the islands only after 800 years, seeing warriors there - fearless and independent.

Population occupations

Traditionally, the Maori were engaged in. Food was obtained by hunting and mainly slash-and-burn agriculture. An important occupation for the ancient Maori was war. Today, the people occupy a significant place in forestry and agriculture. Crafts originated in ancient times, remaining to this day an important part of culture. The main occupations are wood carving, weaving, weaving, jewelry making, boat building. Maori products are distinguished from any other cultures by the absence of any mention of animals in drawings and sculpture. The main ornament of this people is a spiral, executed in various forms. The main image is famous people or a deity.

Accommodation

New Zealand's population density was initially very low. Maori lived in villages. The buildings were close to each other, surrounded by a wooden fence or a moat. Houses were built from logs or boards. The roof was thatched. The floor was somewhat deepened into the ground, so that the room was a little cooler in summer and warmer in winter. In addition to residential buildings in the villages, there were community houses, buildings for various entertainments and for gaining knowledge.

The people of New Zealand were forced to invent warm clothes, since the climate did not allow walking in summer all year round. The people traditionally wore warm cloaks and capes. Women's clothing was complemented by long warm skirts. To insulate the fabric (most often it was linen), animal skins or bird feathers were woven into the fibers during weaving.

The main population of New Zealand, according to tradition, was engaged in the manufacture of weapons: darts, spears, poles. The Maori used both a club and an original bayonet weapon called tayaha. A digging stick was mainly used for cultivating the land. Hunters mainly used snares to catch various animals. In woodcarving, the main tools were chisels made of jade or jadeite.

Traditions

The main population of New Zealand is Maori today. In ancient times, it was one of the most enduring and cruel peoples. Today, their ideas about life seem wild, but for them, for example, cannibalism was commonplace. Maori ate their captives, believing that the forces of the enemy would pass to them.

Another Maori tradition is tattoos. It was a painful way to show your status. Women decorated their lips and chins, men decorated their entire faces. At the same time, the drawing was not applied in the usual way with a needle - tattoos were literally cut into the skin with incisors, it looked like the work of a sculptor. No less brutal were the procedures of initiation - a very painful test of endurance. In addition, the Maori cut off the heads of enemies in order to mummify them later.

Maori today

Finding out what the population is in New Zealand is very easy. Today, the fighting dance of this people, which is called "haka", is very popular in the world. The Maori have the exclusive right to this dance. Initially, the haka was a ritual dance, which is accompanied by support from the choir or words shouted out at regular intervals. This dance was performed in order to invoke the spirits of nature, or before a fight. The government of the state granted the members of the tribe the ownership of the battle cry.

Civilization has greatly influenced the traditions and views of the Maori - today they are no longer bloodthirsty warriors. However, their culture is still very rich and distinctive today. A very important component of Maori culture in our time are works of traditional art. Tourists visiting New Zealand are sure to visit exhibitions of folk crafts or dance performances. It is considered obligatory to take pictures of representatives of local tribes and learn at least a little more about the philosophy and history of this amazing people.

August 27, 2017 10:59 am Rotorua - New Zealand January 2009

Yesterday, having finished our trip around the South Island, we took a ferry across the Cook Strait and in the remaining few hours of the evening we quickly got acquainted with the New Zealand capital, walking along its old streets to Down Town, the embankment and the Botanical Garden.

Early in the morning we get on the bus and leave Wellington, which seemed to us patriarchal and calm. We have a new driver and guide named Colin. The next overnight stay is in the city of Rotorua, which is considered the unspoken capital of the indigenous population of New Zealand - the Maori, and the path to it is not close - almost 450 kilometers.

The road from Wellington runs north along a fine highway. We pass numerous villages, vineyards and sheep farms. It's raining. In a few hours we drive up to the largest lake of the North Island - Taupo. Behind the rain screen and fog, behind - in the Tongarero National Park - the famous volcanoes Ruapehu (2797 m) and Ngauruhoe (2291 m) remained unseen.

Almost all the names of rivers and mountains here are in the Maori language. Ruapehu means "thundering abyss" in Maori. And the Ngauruhoe volcano is notable for the fact that it was used as Mount Orodruin on the set of the film "The Lord of the Rings" based on the novel by R. Tolkien. It's a pity. Maybe it will be possible to see some other time, and even ride on skiing from the snow-covered slopes of Ruapehu in winter - from June to September.

It seems amazing to go skiing in the tropics, but it's true. Ruapehu has several first-class ski resorts. And the largest of them is Fakapapa, located on the western slope of the volcano. With a height difference of 675 m, more than 20 lifts operate here, serving about 40 slopes of varying degrees of difficulty. And there are also the resorts of Turoa and Tukino, which are located respectively on the southern and eastern sides of this volcano.

Lake Taupo and the first acquaintance with the Maori

And finally, the water surface of Lake Taupo (eng. Taupo) appeared. This is the largest lake not only in New Zealand, but in the entire region of the southern part. Pacific Ocean including Australia. Its greatest depth is about 200 meters.

The rain has stopped and Colin pulls into a well-equipped lakeside parking lot with a toilet, shower and a kitchen with barbecue facilities. Everything is in perfect condition.

Here, in the parking lot, we met face to face with the first representative of the Maori - father big family who came here with his family for business purposes. Our women were a little stunned to see the big laundry in the ladies' room and shower that his wife had organized there.

The head of the family himself was busy with the children on the sandy shore of the lake. Older children, similar to our gypsies, ran to the side. And he helped the younger son to sculpt some figures from wet gray volcanic sand.

Coming closer, they asked permission to take a picture of him - allowed. We met. His name was Moana - which in translation from Maori meant "wide expanse of water, sea." A conversation ensued imperceptibly. All of his arms were tattooed. And some of them were not simple - some of them had a completely tattooed surface as a background, and unaffected places formed an ornament!

It is believed that New Zealand was settled by immigrants from eastern Polynesia about 1000 years ago and they retained their ancient way of life until the 20th century. The Maori were excellent warriors, fought for their independence for a long time and, in the end, defended it.

The Maori tattoo is an ancient tradition - because it shows the social status of a person. At the same time, it is also an initiation (initiation) - a test of endurance, since this procedure is quite painful. A Maori tattoo is not only a decoration. Spirals and lines of tattoos also tell the life story of their owner, his genealogy and character traits.

The Maori may have preserved these designs by embalming the tattooed heads and skins of the dead, or by carving them into wood. So in many houses on the walls you can even find the heads of deceased ancestors, according to which the entire genealogical tree of the family is tracked. Thus, they kept their history. Noble men tattooed the entire face, and the body from the waist to the knees. We have seen tattoos on the arms and legs of many Maori women as well. However, even our ladies are not far behind them now in this regard ...

At parting, Moana introduced us to his wife, who by this time had finished washing. Her name was Ataahua - "beautiful". And in fact - she was, as we say with approval - "wow"! And something like a gypsy.

And then he showed us the Maori ritual of greeting and farewell - nose to nose. And the longer the noses stay together, the more respect you show your counterpart. Everyone said goodbye to our new friend in Maori and we moved further north.

We drive along Lake Taupo. It is of volcanic origin and was formed as a result of the strongest eruption of the Taupo volcano about 27,000 years ago. The whole island was then covered with a multi-meter layer of ash, and then almost all living things died around. Here - in the center of the island - there are now several active volcanoes.

Waikato River and Huka Falls

The only river that flows out of Lake Taupo is the Waikato, and we turn to look at its rapid flow and piercing blue water. After a few kilometers, it enters a narrow rocky mouth and roars along it, ending with the crystal-clear waterfall Huka (38°38′55″ S, 176°05′25″ E). All tourists come to look at this turbulent stream.

They stand for a long time and watch in fascination as the soft blue water breaks down from the cliff with a furious pressure. For those who have never seen any waterfalls and mountain rivers, the Huka waterfall seems grandiose.

The water temperature in the river, depending on the summer-winter season, ranges from 22 to 10 degrees, the volume of water is from 32 to 270 cubic meters per second. Depending on the volume of water, the height of the waterfall varies from 7 to 9.5 meters. There was even a small hydroelectric power station on this waterfall for 20 years, but in 1950, in connection with the development of geothermal energy, it was dismantled.

Depending on the sun exposure, the color of the water changes from white to deep turquoise. The coniferous forest, densely growing along the banks of the river, adds to the picturesqueness of this place.

Due to ongoing erosion, the waterfall is slowly but surely moving upstream and there may come a time when it will pour straight out of the lake...

geothermal power plants

We go further - towards the city of Rotorua. The smell of hydrogen sulfide appeared in the air - the zone of geothermal activity of the island began. There are many geysers and boiling ponds around. In many places, smoke comes from cracks in the ground, so it is better not to walk in unfamiliar places.

About 20 kilometers before Rotorua, Colin turns off the road and we find ourselves in the Wairakei Geothermal Power geothermal industrial zone. The first experiments on the use of free energy were started in 1950 and now a well-functioning industrial plant has been established here.

About 200 wells were drilled to a depth of 2 km, of which only 60 are working now. Hot steam at a temperature of 230-260 degrees rises to the surface and is separated. Dry air is separated in one direction, and hot water in the other. The capacity of the plant is 1400 tons of steam per hour. Further, this source material is transferred through pipes with a diameter of 300 to 1200 mm to thermal power plants.

Everything is very simple, and most importantly - the heat is obtained "on the ball"! Some are lucky!

We arrived in Rotorua, the open and unspoken capital of the indigenous people of New Zealand - Maori, before dark, so we had time before dinner, at which our guide and driver Colin promised both a folklore concert and national dishes, to slightly bypass the surroundings of our hotel Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua.

Culture, art and customs of Maori

Everywhere there was a persistent smell of hydrogen sulfide, emanating from the numerous hot springs gurgling everywhere. One such small fountain was even at the door of the pool of our hotel Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua. There was no way to get rid of hydrogen sulfide, because it was escaping in huge quantities out of the ground in many places in the city.

Having walked a little before dinner around the city, we practically did not see the indigenous Maori. There were few people and mostly tourists. The decoration of the city is the building of the hydropathic, built at the end of the 19th century. It is surrounded by a large park, where strange birds roam freely among the flowers. In many places of the park, plots of land are fenced off and wisps of smoke curl from there and something “sparkles” in the depths.

In the evening, right at our hotel, a traditional dinner was held with the national dish of Hanga - pieces of meat baked in an earthen oven and a Maori amateur concert. Dinner was normal, but we did not see the cooking process, nor the earth oven itself. Looking ahead, I will say that this process was shown to us in full by the islanders in Fiji.

The concert was preceded by an introduction to some of the basic customs of the Maori, which were shown to us before dinner by two colorful representatives of this tribe. Well, with these customs - how to say hello and say goodbye, we met in the afternoon when we met our Maori Moana on Lake Taupo.

Then all the newly arrived tourists were invited to a restaurant and local amateur performances took place on the stage - songs and dances. Maori songs were very melodic and perky. And they really testified to their Polynesian roots.

The Maori were militant and independent and fought the British for a long time. Their dances, and especially the combat dance "haka", express the desire to defeat the enemy. Our dancers diligently rolled the whites of their eyes and stuck out their tongues, apparently trying to intimidate the "enemy" to death with such gestures. What's interesting is now and some modern sports teams New Zealand before meeting with the enemy, they perform this dance on the football or rugby field!

Digging into the history of the Maori, I was horrified to find that they have pronounced cannibal addictions, however, like most other islanders of the Pacific region. Why, even Jules Verne wrote about this more than a hundred years ago.

New Zealand is thought to have been inhabited about 1,000 years ago by East Polynesians with a weakness for human flesh, and the Maori maintained this ancient way of life well into the 20th century. There is even Cannibal Bay on the South Island of NZ. Thousands of human remains are found here, left after the bloody feasts. They usually ate prisoners ...

Many traditions associated with cannibalism were deeply rooted and based on the prevailing belief that a dish of the flesh of enemies contained their strengths: the brain - wisdom, the heart - courage, etc. Therefore, the white man in this respect had a clear preference over the natives - for the most part they were wise and courageous. True, some savages believed that the use of salt by white people spoils the taste of their meat ...

Cannibalism was also widespread in western Polynesia, close to Melanesia, in Fiji, and the islands of Tonga. It was common as far east as the Marquesas, Easter Island and the Cook Islands group. The Maori of New Zealand regarded the meat of their enemies as the most desirable target of warfare. Throughout Polynesia, the practice of cannibalism was motivated by revenge, since eating the body of an enemy was an expression of the highest degree of contempt for the downtrodden.

Knowing all this, these young men performing martial dances were already seen differently. At the end of the performance, they invited us to the stage to complete this holiday together.

At the same time, we needed to rotate as much as possible in different sides eyes, roll up the whites of the eyes “to the sky” and stick out the tongue from the mouth as much as possible, and even emit piercing victorious cries at the same time! With such gestures, we had to intimidate the "enemy" to the extreme.

By the way, we met one of these warrior dancers the next day in the thermal reserve, where he worked as a wood carver. Without saying a word, they already greeted like old acquaintances - in Maori - nose to nose!
— a geothermal area with its geysers and mud volcanoes, a show with rams and sheep at the Agrodome, and an introduction to Maori folk arts and crafts.

Potatoes, ancient loose muskets and smoked heads of prisoners for psychological warfare. Thanks to military prowess and the competent use of European goods, the New Zealand Maori escaped the fate of the Indians.

Since the arrival of Europeans, there have been more than 3,000 battles, skirmishes and raids involving the natives on the islands of New Zealand. The most important of them went down in history as the Musket and Land wars. Their result was a treaty unique in colonial history - Maori received equal rights with subjects of the British crown.

Here are 7 reasons why they managed to survive.

1. Discipline

Maori are the descendants of desperate seafarers who settled New Zealand, the Chatham and Cook Islands around 1200 AD. Muscular stately rowers arrived in several waves from Eastern Polynesia. To drive 30m canoes waka with a hundred people on board, to fight the weather and forage for food in the open ocean, it takes courage and even more - discipline. Ordinary members of the tribe unquestioningly obeyed the leaders, captains and helmsmen.

Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas Archipelago, Easter Island and some others.

Maori chief with facial tattoo, Sydney Parkinson, 1784 Source: National Library of New Zealand

2. The cult of war

Maori life defined concept mana- this is both the glory of a fighter, and his position in society, and spiritual strength. To become an adult, the boy had to go through a painful initiation - endure the first tattoo with a chisel on his face. Recognized as a man, he was most afraid of showing cowardice. To lose mana is worse than death for the Maori. It was impossible to hide the episode of cowardice. facial tattoo ta-moko told everything about the owner: from skills in crafts to behavior on the battlefield.

The tribes of New Zealand were constantly at war, and the war dictated their traditions. Among them are ritual cannibalism on the battlefield, a duel on tayaha, a long-term blood feud for the death of a relative - outu, muru- a mandatory campaign against the enemy in the event of the death of the leader of a friendly tribe, even if natural.

The severed heads of enemies were soaked in shark liver oil, steamed or smoked, then dried. These trophies mokomokai, exhibited in sacred places, provoked wars and ended them - before the conclusion of peace, it was necessary to exchange heads.

A hybrid club and spear made of hardwood with a sharp tip.

Mokomokai collection collected by British officer Robley, 1895. Source: Wellcome Library, London / Wellcome Images

3. Potato revolution

The usual diet of the aborigines before trading with Europeans: fish, seals, mollusks, toe-sized sweet kumara root crops, algae, fern rhizomes, rare prey ducks. The first contact happened in 1642, when the captain of the Dutch East India Company, Abel Tasman, sailed to New Zealand. A hundred years later, the coastline of the islands was explored and mapped by James Cook.

So the way was paved for whalers, merchants, seal hunters. After a long voyage, they needed fresh water, greenery, fruit, and timber for repairs. In exchange, local residents received weapons and food from the ship's stocks. Sweet potatoes and potatoes, planted by women and slaves, made a food revolution.

Two or three crops a year, the appearance of durable products, an increase in the survival rate of babies, increased competition among young men within the tribe, an increase in the number of fighters in marching units to 2000-3000, the ability to feed more slaves and arming with muskets - all this could not but cause a big war .

First meeting with the Maori. Drawing from Abel Tasman's travel journal, 1642. Source: Nationaal Archief / gahetna.nl

4. Lend-Lease

The tribes were divided. Trade with Europeans strengthened some and killed others. Firearms made it possible to capture and hold more slaves. They would grow O Larger harvests, cut more ship timber. In exchange, strong coastal tribes began to receive more muskets, gunpowder, and metal axes.

By the 1800s, the North Island of New Zealand was filled with pig pens and planted with potatoes. As soon as sailing ships appeared on the horizon, canoes rushed towards them with provisions, wood, heads mokomokai, ceremonial clubs made of jade or obsidian.

The gun in different years cost from 6 to 20 pigs. Some tribes used adventurers from Europe as military advisors and weapon repair specialists. Despite difficulties with the supply of gunpowder, the Maori mastered barrage and volley fire. By holding the charges between their fingers, they could fire the first three shots quickly.

An explosive mixture of military traditions and new weapons gave rise to the most violent conflicts over a pile of stones on the border of the plots, a girlish quarrel for the attention of a white captain, and the theft of fruit.

In 1830, 1,400 warriors were involved in a battle that broke out after a dispute between girls from rival tribes. 100 of them died.

Chief Hongi Hike (center) meets missionary Thomas Kendall, 1820. Source: National Library of New Zealand

5. Professionalization of the army

In 1820, a British missionary took the leader of the Ngapuhi tribe, Hongi Hike, to London, where he attended an audience with King George IV. He returned home with 500 guns, gunpowder, sabers, daggers and a set of armor.

The slaughter has begun. Behind a short time the ngapukhs destroyed six tribal groups. Hongi Hike fought in the forefront. The giant in metal armor, which withstood blows from clubs and musket bullets at the end, terrified and was considered invulnerable. After the storming of the Mokoya settlement, the Ngapukh massacred more than 1,000 inhabitants.

In the campaigns led by Te Rauparaha in the South Island, 4,000 people were killed and taken prisoner. The invading army was followed by slaves with baskets of potatoes and human meat for a victorious feast. In the Musket and Land conflicts, more than 21 thousand Maori died, despite the fact that the number of the entire Maori people rarely exceeded 100 thousand.

The traditional way of life and the economy were inevitably changing. The prisoners were forced to cut down timber and work in the fields to the point of exhaustion in order to create goods for exchange. The dead were cut off their heads, stuffed with fake tattoos of leaders and sold to Europeans for guns. More guns brought more slaves. War fed itself by creating new elite and professional soldiers.

Military khaka, drawing made around 1845.