Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You can check out a map that shows
iwi
distribution and a good list of
iwi
websites on
Wikipedia (
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_iwi
)
The Arts
There are many collections of Maori
taonga
(treasures) around the country. Some of the
largest and most comprehensive are at Wellington's Te Papa Museum and the Auckland
Museum. Canterbury Museum in Christchurch also has a good collection, and Hokitika
Museum has an exhibition showing the story of
pounamu
(nephrite jade, or greenstone).
You can stay up to date with what is happening in the Maori arts by reading
Mana
magazine (available from most newsagents), listening to
iwi
stations (
www.irirangi.net
)
or weekly podcasts from Radio New Zealand (
www.radionz.co.nz
). Maori TV also has
regular features on the Maori arts - check out
www.maoritelevision.com
.
Maori TV went to air in 2004, an emotional time for many Maori who could at last see
their culture, their concerns and their language in a mass medium. Over 90% of content
is NZ made, and programs are in both Maori and English: they're subtitled and access-
ible to everyone. If you want to really get a feel for the rhythm and meter of spoken
Maori from the comfort of your own chair, switch to Te Reo, a Maori-language-only
channel.
Ta Moko
Ta moko
is the Maori art of tattoo, traditionally worn by men on their faces, thighs and
buttocks, and by women on their chins and lips.
Moko
were permanent grooves tapped
into the skin using pigment (made from burnt caterpillar or kauri gum soot), and bone
chisels: fine, sharp combs for broad work, and straight blades for detailed work. Mu-
seums in the major centres - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch - all display tradi-
tional implements for
ta moko.
The modern tattooist's gun is common now, but bone chisels are coming back into use
for Maori who want to reconnect with tradition. Since the general renaissance in Maori
culture in the 1960s, many artists have taken up
ta moko
and now many Maori wear
moko
with quiet pride and humility.
Can visitors get involved, or even get some work done? The term
kirituhi
(skin in-
scriptions) has arisen to describe Maori-motif-inspired modern tattoos that non-Maori
can wear.
