A Maori Powhiri By Swati Puri

A Powhiri A Powhiri is a ceremony which involves speeches, singing, dancing and the hongi. The Tangata whenua, the people of the Marae, welcome the Manuhiri, the guests, onto their land. It can be a very spiritual time during this ceremony. The Powhiri is often performed for special visitors, a funeral or a wedding.

The Gathering The gathering is when the Manuhiri, the visitors, meet together outside the Marae gate. Together the Manuhiri will be able to choose a speaker who will be describing themselves and their culture during the speeches. They will also choose a leader, a man, who will be guiding them through the Powhiri ceremony. The visitors will wait with the women and children flanked closely by the men. This indicates to the Tangata whenua that they are ready.

The Wero The Wero is an aggressive challenge for the Manuhiri performed by the three most fierce and able warriors of the tribe. The warriors will advance cautiously with ceremonial weapons, perform threatening gestures and call out battle cries. They will give the impression of being able to strike the visitors at any time. The warrior will place a Taki, a symbolic offering, by the Manuhiri leader’s feet. The leader will have to pick up the offering maintaining eye contact with the leader warrior. If the leader maintains eye contact all the way through and he picks up the taki, it indicates that the visitors come in peace.

The Karanga After the Wero there will be the Karanga. When the visitors are ready a Kaikaranga, the oldest woman of the Tangata whenua, will call out to the Manuhiri. The call will say welcome to our land and call out to all the ancestors who were related to the guests. She will be responded by a women from the vistors group. This part of the Powhiri is like the ropes of the two sides joining together and holding strong. The Manuhiri will be allowed into the courtyard following their leader very slowly.

Spirits Meet Once the Manuhiri are in the courtyard and have nearly approached the inside of the Marae, all the visitors will pause and with the Tangata whenua, they bow their heads for one or two minutes in remembrance of all the deceased souls. Immediately after, the Tangata whenua will sit and at a given sign, the guests move to take up the seats provided in the Marae, with the speakers sitting in the front row seats.

The Whaikorero The Whaikorero are the formal speeches given by both hosts and visitors inside the Marae. The speakers can display their mastery in the Maori language. They tell the people about themselves and their culture. The people of the Marae will do a chant to invoke the gods’ protection and to honour the visitors. Also the Manuhiri will tell the Tangata whenua about why they came to this Marae.

The Waiata At the conclusion of each speech the speaker and a number of representatives will sing a Waiata, a song. It is common to hear a traditional Waiata during the Powhiri from the Tangata whenua. The Manuhiri will also perform songs maybe one in their own language and one in Maori. The words and expressions of the songs from both sides preserve the wisdom and knowledge of ancestors. It is always important to choose songs appropriate for the occasion.

The Koha Normally the last speaker on the Manuhiri side presents a Koha which is a gift generally an envelope of money to the people of the Marae. It is money of love and respect to the Tangata whenua for their hospitality. It is also the obligation of the Manuhiri to give a gift even if the visitors are only coming for a couple of hours. The Koha is laid on the ground by the last speaker of the Manuhiri side. After the speaker is seated a male from the tribe will pick up the Koha. It is normally accompanied by a chant as an expression of gratitude and thanks.

The Hongi and Hariru After the Koha there would be the Hongi and Hariru, the pressing of noses and shaking of hands. This signifies the joining together of Tangata whenua and Manuhiri. Traditionally, whether male or female, participants would Hongi. The Hongi brings all the senses to exchange and intermingle- the touch, sight, hearing, smell and human contact. Through the exchange of this physical greeting and formal welcome, no one is no longer considered Manuhiri but rather Tangata whenua, one of the people of the land.

The Hakari The Powhiri will conclude with a Hakari, feast, later in the day. This feast is for all the Tangata whenua to enjoy which officially lifts the Tapu (sacredness) of the Powhiri.

Why is it unique? This Powhiri is very unique to New Zealand as this is where the Maori culture originated and is manly where it still continues. Other cultures have very different ceremonies but this Powhiri is very special to the Maori’s and New Zealanders.

How we use and need it today? Maori tribes can use this to greet important guests onto their Marae or visitors who want to learn more about the Maori culture. This Powhiri can be very important on Waitangi day, as lots of politics will visit Maraes’ on 6 th February. It is a very important day in-between Maoris’ and New Zealanders as this is when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

The effect on NZ people and society today and into the future? Before lots of Europeans arrived in New Zealand, Maori was the biggest culture there. Unfortunately now New Zealand only is made up of 17% Maori. Even then those Maori people aren’t 100% Maori but rather a modernized version of the true culture. The Maoris’ need to educate their future generation if they want it to survive in the future.

Why is it important to cherish this now and into the future? It is so important to cherish this very unique culture so when the next generation comes along it won’t be foreign to them and only learn about it in museums. They could learn from their parents who would of studied a bit about the culture when they were younger. It is so important to keep cultures alive and always learn from them and their hardships as New Zealanders should not forget the history of their land.