The Marae: land of the Maori

Today was full of adventure. I took the bus to Mission Bay Beach, where I accompanied a group of volunteers to Orakei Marae. The Marae is the remaining acres of land that the Maori people own and are working to preserve. I prepared for the visit by learning an important song of the Maori people (find me on campus and I’ll share the song with you).

Te Aroha Waiata

Te ahora
Te whakapono
Me Te rangimarie
Tatau Tatau e

(Which translates to:
Love
Faith
And peace
Be amongst us all)

The Marae is very sacred and you must be given a ceremonial blessing to enter certain areas. In addition, to the blessing each person must introduce themselves sharing where their mana comes from. Mana meaning where one gets their power/energy from, usually a specific place. I could not foresee the emotional and spiritual moment that occurred. The ceremony was so touching as we shared pieces of our selves, where we came from, where we get our mana from, and afterwards embraced our host by touching noses and shaking hands. We were embraced by the spirit of the Maori ancestors and representatives of today.

In 1951 the British and Maori signed a treaty that sanctioned the last bit of undeveloped land on the north island of New Zealand to the Maori. Shortly after the signing of the treaty the Maori language was acknowledged as a national second language in New Zealand. The Maori family that lives on this land decided that they want to work to reforest the land. And with help of the government and volunteers from various NGOs they are planting trees, various plants, and keeping the Maori traditions alive.

These are pictures leading to Mission Bay Beach.