On my flight from China to Singapore, I was sitting behind the nicest family. The teenaged son slept the whole time, but the mother chatted with me on occasion and smiled a lot. I noticed that the father had very interesting markings in the center of his face, and his stature resembled a rugby player. I didn't really pay much attention to it; his markings seemed family-oriented or tribal, that's all. I figured they were probably Australian. (I'm not sure why, it was just my gut feeling.)
When I got to Singapore and met my new friend Tanya, I asked her about the various families and tribes in Australia. I mentioned the family from the plane and the father's face tattoo. She knew exactly what I was talking about and said that they were Maori and from New Zealand.
Polynesians settled New Zealand in 1300 CE. After several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as Maori: incorporating their own language, mythology, distinctive crafts, and performing arts. In the early 1900's, social upheaval, decades of conflict, and epidemics of introduced disease took a devastating toll on the Maori population, which went into dramatic decline. However, there are more than 800,000 Maori living in New Zealand today. I think it's absolutely fascinating that one of the Maori families was sitting in front of me on the plane . . .
This reminds me: when I worked field day, back in May, over at East Nashville's Lockeland Design Center Elementary School, each class within each grade represented a country. One of the 4th grade classes represented New Zealand and did this amazing cheer before each event.
I realize now that this was a Maori Haka cheer, a harmonious warrior dance. Full circle learning. Amazing.
Images found on the internet: Blaine Harrington Photography (top) and Locums For A Small World Blog (bottom). Video by Lindsey Bailey.
No comments:
Post a Comment