Maori Culture & our visit in Maori village

There are lots of myths, songs and dances in Maori culture. The weaving and caring have already reached high standards. It even continues nowadays. Traditionally, Maori's life is based on tribes and extened families. Each tribe and extend family has a marae. It is for their culture and values. It is also a meeting place for discussions, speeches, weddings, funerals and other important events. Maori people welcome guests to their maze. When we come into the marae, a woman from the tribe calls a welcome, and a female visitor replies. Then, all the guests move into the center of the marae. Now, they can be friends. After that, there will be a silent moment for pople rowing their heads to remember the dead. When it is finished, they will ask the guests to take a seat.

I have this information from my teacher in Queenstown, Sarah. However, I found there was some difference when I visited the Maori on the last day of the trip. Maybe it was a informal one. I remebered that it was relly cold and dark when we arrived at the Maori village. John Man was asked to be the Chief but I didn't know why. Then, we came into the marae and the Maori started to give a performance for us. The women danced with the Poris. Suddenly, they came to ask some of us to come up to the stage to dance with them. We had a dinner in a Maori restaurant. The food was very good and I loved the ice-cream especially. We also learnt to dance during the meal.