¿Where the Heck are You? - a Hangi in Aotearoa

Setting course with but a naked eye on the stars, their ancestors paddled and sailed their wakas, huge war canoes, thousands of miles from southern Asia. Over the centuries they passed through the Indonesian archipelago and eastward across the South Pacific during the great migration. They settled the islands we know as Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti. They spread on east, at least to the Marquesas before beginning to back track. Some then turned north, discovering Hawai'i,
while others veered south to Rarotonga and eventually Aotearoa.

Known as one of the most fierce people to emerge from the Polynesian and Melanesian cultures, the Maoris were valiant warriors, and cannibals too. Their first encounter with the pakeha - the pale people - in the mid 17^th century sent the Dutch explorer Able Tasmin scurrying away. Tasmin's recount of the vicious natives attacking his ship offshore in their wakas kept European explorers away from Aotearoa for another 130 years. The ferocious welcome was not reserved for the paheka, neighboring tribal chiefs had to submit to the ritual of Te Wero before being allowed into a Maori wharenui. 

¿Where the Heck are You?

                    - a Hangi in Aotearoa

Actually you could ask, "?Whare? are you?" as I have been invited for a hangi at the Wharenui of Pa Tamaki, the meeting house of the living fortified Maori village of Tamaki near Rotaroa Aotearoa - the land of the long white cloud - or as you may know it - New Zealand.

Just outside the gate, I stood eye to eye with the heavily tattooed Tangata Whenua, the Te Wero ritual had begun.

To determine if a visitor was worthy, the Maori warrior, armed with his war club, issues a challenge by dancing, struttng, feint attack, chants, and taunts the visitor with menacing facial expressions and tongue wags. In times past, failure to hold the warrior's gaze or a flinch by the visitor was a certain invitation to dinner ... but as the entrée!
 

Having passed the initiation ritual of the te wero this pakeha was accepted as a Rangatira, a visiting chief, and invited by the Tangata Whenua into the Pa for the hangi.

We exchanged Teka or tokens, the fearsome warrior  picked up my teka and extended the Powhiri greeting me with Kia Ora and welcomed me into the fortified village saying haere mai. Then the warrior embraced me in the traditional hongi and presented me a heitiki as his teka. For those travelers that shy away from the European cheek kiss greeting, the hongi may prove to be even more invasive of your personal space. While staring intently, you grasp each other by the shoulders and press noses together, hold and deeply inhale the essence of your new friend.

Passing through waharoa, the gate of the Pa, I notice the walls of the fortification had filled with warriors. Above the waharoa are carved totems of Tawhirimatea, Tangaroa, and other spirits of the earth, wind and sea. Ranginui, the Sky Father is the carved and inlaid heitiki presented to me by the Tangata Whenua.

Inside the Pa I am guided past village dwellings. Artisans work on their crafts, mostly carvings and beaded items made from wood and shells.

A man plays koauau, a small flute, while a trio of women clad in korowai cloaks sing and chant tribal songs.

As we near the wharenui for the hangi feast, we pass pair of women practicing a Maori martial art using Titi Torea batons. This is an important part of Maori life that is passed down to the each succeeding generation of children, both boys and girls.

Arriving at the wharenui, it is time for the hangi, a ceremonial feast. The Maori hangi is similar to the Polynesian feasts of their Pacific cousins, the lovo in Fiji or Hawaiian luau. Like the lovo, the hangi is prepared in an earthen oven, but instead of being smoked over smoldering embers, the hangi oven is lined with fire heated stones that steam cook the meal. The traditional hangi would have included meats of fresh or saltwater fish, fowl such as Moa the now extinct large flightless birds similar to emus, or mutton birds. There would be root vegetables like taro and kumara, plus greens similar to spinach, and fruit for dessert. A hangi today substitutes chicken for moa and mutton bird, and may include pork and vegetables such as potatoes and carrots introduced by the British colonists.

The feast is followed by Whaikorero, Haka, Waiata - songs and chants. The entertainment begins with the Whaikorero, a vivid and animated oratory of Maori tribal legends, including stories of creation, tribal genealogies, along with the great feats of valor performed by epic heroes and warriors of the past.

As the whaikorero comes to an end, the speaker is joined by other warriors. Together they perform the Haka, the fierce and frenzied Maori war dance.

Next, the village women take center stage chanting, singing, and dancing. Their waiata are songs about Papatuanuku the earth mother, life, and their village. Some songs and dances include the choreographed movements of swinging  Poi and Titi Torea.

These songs and dances are part of the tribal education of all the children. Some of the dance steps and the use of the poi balls, titi torea batons, and other props are the beginning of warrior training for both girls and boys. The use of the poi and titi torea taught the movements and strengthen muscles that would later be used as adults to wield weapons for both combat and hunting. 

The evening ends with farewell hongi's [nose presses] with my hosts before boarding
the waka [Tamaki's shuttle] and paddling home to my Pa and whare [guesthouse]. 

Below are links to three short videos of Maori chant and dance from the hangi feast.

                                                       [just click an image to view]

             
            Whaikorero                        Haka                           Waiata

		MrBill, Gather Essentials: Travel Correspondent
	MrBill’s column, “Where the heck are You?”, is published twice monthly to Gather Essentials: Travel “Where the heck are You?” is the usual greeting I receive from friends and family since they are never quite sure just where I have been. “Where the heck are You?" is a traveler's column. Come with me for a journey to foreign shores, tropical locales, and places you may not have even heard of. Along the way I will introduce you to people; their cultures, art and cuisine, and together we will share an adventure. MrBill wanders and ponders. He is an avid traveler and photographer. He has extensive experience in the fields of Information Technology, Culinary Arts and Hospitality. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, MrBill now resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Tahoe. Keep up with all of MrBill's adventures by joining his network, or subscribing to his content.