New Zealand's indigenous people, the Maori, make up approximately 10% of
                                   the current population. The people are known as the tangata whenua (people
                                   of the land) and their culture is known as Maoritanga (Maori culture and
                                   customs) and represents the full expression of the Maori way of life and their
                                   outlook on the world.
 

                              It is believed that the Maori first arrived in New Zealand
                                   around the beginning of the second millenium.
                                   Kupe,a legendary Polynesian navigator sailed many
                                   thousands of miles from his homeland of Hawaii in
                                   long canoes, and is attributed as having named New
                                   Zealand, Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud)
 
 
 
 

                      Around 1300 AD,more Maori settlers arrived, and over
                                     the next 500 years, a social structure evolved. This structure
                                     consisted of tribes....sub-tribes emerged, and these were
                                     presided over by a warlike and ruling aristocracy, with warrior
                                     and slave classes.  This society was based on inter-tribal warfare,
                                     hunting, and agriculture.

                     Maori society is still a tribal one, with over 40 tribes. Power
                                      is in the hands of the rangatira (chiefs) and kaumatua (elders)
                                      Kuia (elder women) command much respect in the Maori
                                      community, and are often seen at the local marae (meeting
                                      place) caring, advising and generally assisting the
                                      mokopuna (children) of the iwi (tribe).

                                       The centre of tribal activity is the local marae, and the heart
                                       of the marae is the wharenui (meeting house), which reflects
                                       customs, spirit, and history of the tribe, and represents the
                                       ancestors of the tribe.
 
 
 

                                       Another important concept is tapu (taboo) and the tohunga
                                       places tapu on a place, person, or object. A good example of
                                       this is the placing of a tapu on a property following a death,
                                       or placing a tapu on a fishing bed to allow regeneration.
                                       The tohunga also uses natural medicines, and is regarded
                                       as a priest or medicine man.

                             The Maori culture has been passed down through carvings, art,
                                      story telling, and reciting whakapapa (genealogy). Carving
                                      (whakiro) is usually done in jade, or greenstone, wood, and bone.
                                      The haka is perhaps the most widely known aspect of Maori
                                      culture, as the All Blacks Rugby team perform the haka before
                                      every game.
 
 
 

                                      The tattoo (moko) is also well known. Traditionally, women
                                      were tattooed on the chin, while men were tattooed from head
                                      to toe.
 
 
 

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