Maori yo
February 8, 2006Tokarau Beach, New Zealand
8:53pm
It’s been two days since Waitangi Day and I thought I better get something down before I forget. I was going to wait until after tomorrow when we go up to Cape Reinga to watch two oceans collide, but that, as they say, is another story.
As previously mentioned, Waitangi Day is the celebration of the signing of a treaty between Maori chiefs and British settlers back in 1840. It is celebrated all over New Zealand, but we are lucky to be staying only 95 kilometres from the actual location of the signing, Waitangi, so we made the drive to at least soak up some of the history of a country we have loved and called home for the past six months.
Our interaction with the Maori people and their specific culture has been limited mostly to casual small town conversation and one Vegas like show back in Rotorua in October. I am not fully versed in their spiritual enlightenment, but I know it is more about nature, the ocean, the sky, the forests, then an individual all mighty deity. I know a lot of the Maoris live in poverty, and live with resentment about what has been taken away from them and what they deserve. I am some of their gripes are justified, and I don’t know enough about their plight to start making accusations about either side. I do know that for whatever reason, they have chosen the anti-establishment role with a certain verve, and even though they have automatic weighted representation in their parliament, they still manage to constantly complain about not being properly represented.
One thing that I do have difficulty accepting is their passion for the gangster culture of the United States and to a lesser extent all of North America. It is everywhere here, the graffiti, the gang colours, the hand gestures, it is intimidating and was everywhere in the small community of Waitangi on Monday.
For the most part though it was interesting, seeing the Treaty House where the document was signed as well as the wood carved meetinghouse of the Maoris back in the 19th century.
We also were witness to a planned protest, which everyone was expecting to turn ugly but was actually just a well-organized group of Maoris voicing their concerns about the disappearance of their land.
But for a second there, when the cops kept marching into the circle surrounding a tall group of flags,
it flashed through my mind that if something goes really wrong here, the white people were outnumbered at least 2 to 1.
Waitangi itself and the surrounding Bay of Islands resort community were beautiful. This is the primary weekend and summer getaway location of Aucklanders and you could tell.
It was way more commercial than any of the other sparse locations we had been, and way busier, but that could have been because of the special day.
We will go back some other time when it is not as busy. Maybe swim with some dolphins or something equally out of this world.
Yesterday and today were low key, grocery shopping and walking and hanging out with Hud catching spiders and watching ants eat them.
You know, normal stuff.
Love to all,
J.
posted by Jason @ 12:24 AM
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