OCEANIA / AUSTRALIA

CULTURE: MAORI

NEW ZEALAND FLAG

MAORI FLAG

• Maoris live in New Zealand, in the Nothern Island.• A person from New Zealand is called New Zealander.• The capital of New Zealand is Wellington.

•New Zealand is formed by two big islands: Northern Island and Southern Island.

•Language. They speak English, Maori and BANZSL: British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language (2 handed manual alphabet).

• Food. They like hangi (meat and vegetables cooked on a hot rock in a hole under the ground) and pavlova (cake made of fruits like kiwi). Maori people like fish and seafood. New Zealanders like meat like lamb and fish and chips.

• Animals. Typical animal: kiwi (hairy bird which can’t fly). It’s the national symbol of New Zealand. Other birds: weka, moa, kakapo, kea, gannets, yellow-eyed penguin,… Other animals: lizards like tuatara, gecko, skink,…; frogs, sea lions, fur seal, sperm whale, maui dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, sheep, possum,…

•Plants. Pohutukawa (Christmas tree and flower), silverfern, koru, kauri tree (very big and high: 50m).

•House. Wharenui. It’s made of materials from the forest: wood, reed, bark,… (trees and plants).Marae is the Maori sacred house for ceremonies. You have to leave shoes outside the house.There are skyscrapers and flats in big cities.

• Family. The maoris form big families living in the same house.

• Clothes. Maori boys wear stripped skirts and maori girls wear stripped skirts, headbands and black and red corsets.

• Greetings. The maoris rub their forehead and nose twice to say hello. Hello / Thanks = Kia Ora. Hello everybody = Tena Koutou Katoa.Goodbye = E Noho Ra.

• Sports. Rugby is the national sport.

• Weather. It’s warm, rainy and sunny. It’s warm in the Northern island. It’s cold and snowy in the Southern island.

• Currency. It’s the New Zealand Dollar.

• Jobs. Maoris used to be warriors. Nowadays, they are peasants (agriculture), stockbreeders and fishers. (Primary sector).

•Monuments: Sky Tower. It’s the highest tower of the South Hemisphere (328m).

• Geography. The highest mountain is Mount Cook (3724m). The longest river is Waikato River (425 km).

• Famous people: Keisha Castle-Hughes (actress), Jane Campion (film director), Peter Jackson (film director), Abel Janszoon Tasman (1st sailor to get NZ), James Cook (1st british to conquer New Zealand).

• Religion. The maoris believe in several syncretic religions, combining various aspects of Christianity with traditional and non-traditional Māori philosophies (Gods related to nature, animals,…) like Ringantú (+), Pai Marire, Hauhau, Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, Ratana (++) or even Islam. Almost 50% population in New Zealand are Christian.

• Means of Transport. They usually go by waka (big canoe) or on foot.• Typical Maori Dance. It’s called Kapa Haka. Warriors used to dance it. Nowadays, the rugby team All Blacks does it.

• Curiosities.• It’s the 1st country of our planet to see the

new day and receive the New Year.• The Maoris use masks to make spirits go

away.

• Maori men. The more tattoos they have, the more important they are. Maori men tattoo their face, arms and bottom. Maori women only tattoo their chin, upper lip and the lower part of the nose.

• Both islands are surrounded by mountains and lakes. Mountains are volcanos circled by geysers (holes in the ground that expel hot water).