If you try this link, it should take you to the Facebook page of Fulbright New Zealand and a post by Andy Mitchell, filled with all of his photos of our Fulbright training week. He has given me permission to post some, but I have not figured out yet how to get them on this blog! So I am hoping this link will give you a rich photo essay of that experience. And I will keep trying to figure out how to post some here as well!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150622628440982.425757.18412730981&type=3
The Fulbright week was a gift. Their object was to help us learn about, love and respect their country, plants, animals, people and culture. We have told you a little about the marae experience, but I thought I would try and take some time to record that week so I always remember it.
The cohort was a small group of six Axford fellows, six Fulbright Senior Scholars and ten student Fulbright Graduate awardees. I had to look these up to be sure of exactly what they meant! The Fulbright NZ website describes each of these roles in these ways:
“Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy provide research opportunities in New Zealand for American public policy researchers and practitioners.
Fulbright US Scholar Awards are for American academics, artists and professionals to research, teach or present their work in New Zealand.
Fulbright US Graduate Awards are for American students to undertake postgraduate study or research at New Zealand institutions. Grantees are selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership potential and ambassadorial qualities.”
I was really honored to meet all of these great, smart people. Many were scientists, here to study birds, rocks, earthquakes, ocean patterns, Antarctica, National parks and things like that. The Axford fellows were mostly people from government studying government. I was the only musician.
Day 1
The first day, we began with a general welcome, introductions and then dived right into our first important assignment; learning the waiata to prepare for our visit to the Marae. Waiata are songs. Songs are used in Maori culture to recall tribal history, geneology, remind people of responsibilities and expectations, and to impart knowledge. Maori sing all of the time; I love it! Songs are an important part of a Pōwhiri (traditional welcome ceremony/ritual) and we were expected to sing, in Maori, and do our part, so we had to practice! First things first. I found the experience touching and spiritual, as I find most Maori experiences I have been exposed to here, and I thought I would share the words.
The words to the Waiata we sang:
E hara i te mea
No inaianei te aroha
no nga tupuna
I tuko iho, I tuko iho.
Te whenua, te whenua
Te orange mot e iwi
No nga tupuna
I tuko iho, I tuko iho
Translation:
It is not a new thing
Now that is love
Comes from the anscestors
Handed down through the passages of time.
The land, the land
Is the life for the people
Comes from the ancestors
Handed down through the passages of time.
Our first class was an extension of this training. It was called “Introduction to Maori Language and Protocols.” Piripi Walker taught it. Piripi was one of the instrumental people to bring the Maori language and culture to radio and television. He is a passionate advocate for preserving the language, te reo, by having it heard, and a prominent public figure for Maori Language Claims in New Zealand. Piripi was one of the driving forces behind legislation in the 1980s that established te reo as an official language. Piripi is of Ngati Raukawa descent, and is a fluent Maori speaker. He is a fascinating personality. This is a link to a radio program interview with him if you are interested in hearing about his life and hearing him speak both in Kiwi English and te reo.
Piripi gave us booklets and pronunciation guides and showed and practiced with us everything we needed to know to experience the Marae in a more complete way. For example, te reo has lots of vowels, not so many consonants. If you can get the vowel sounds down pretty well, you can be understood, even if your grammar is a bit wonky! There are funny little exceptions for pronouncing things. “Wh” is said like an “f” and “r’s” are flipped a bit like a “d” as they are in Spanish.
We then packed up and took a bus north, to Lower Hutt, to go to the famous Waiwhetū (referring to Iwi or tribe it belongs to) Marae. It is also called “Arohanui ki te tangata,” or “The Meeting-House of Goodwill to All Men.” It is hard to describe the whole meaning of a Pōwhiri welcome, why it feels spiritual, and the rich experiences accentuated by language and music.
This definition comes from the NZ online encyclopedia, Te Ara, and I thought it provided some good context. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en
(excerpted directly from the Te Ara website)
“Pōwhiri (welcome ritual)
The pōwhiri, which welcomes visitors to a
marae, is based on creation traditions, which tell of the separation of earth and sky and the movement from darkness to light. In these traditions, Tāne pushed earth and sky apart. The pōwhiri, which takes place upon the ground in front of the meeting house (marae ātea), is a re-enactment of the creation of the world through the separation of earth and sky. Orators speaking upon the marae ritually re-enact Tāne separating earth and sky, the action through which light came into the world. The work of the orator is to bring light and resolution to the community through his oratory.
On the marae, the world of light (Te Ao Mārama) is represented by the meeting house. Darkness (Te Pō) is represented by the marae ātea. The pōwhiri is designed to address conflict and difficulty, and find resolution. The Tāne energy is born out of darkness. It separates earth and sky, allowing light into the world. Tāne represents the energy of growth and action, and the expression and fulfilment of the earth.”
Piripi Walker came as the speaker of our group, advocate and representative. The entire ceremony was mostly in te reo. The feeling was formal, women sat in the back, only the elders experienced in the ritual were allowed to speak. Piripi introduced us as people that were eager to learn. We heard from the Elder there about his ancestors, a recitation of his genealogy and values was a part of his teaching. As we were instructed, a response from us was expected at one point in the ceremony, and we sang our waiata.
This was followed by tea time (snack) and an opportunity to walk on the grounds, visit the Maori Treasures Museum to be impressed by the wakas (huge hand carved boats that are pieces of art).
We learned about the Maori chief, Ihaia Puketapu, who had built the marae after having a vision. Maori believe in seers and prophets. They call them tohunga or matakite and these elders heal, lead and act in roles that we would compare to a priest. Puketapu built the specific marae we were visiting to honor the Maori prophet, Te Whiti. Te Whiti predated Gandhi with his methods of passive, peaceful resistance. Te Whiti also established the pacifist community of Parihaka that was thriving in the 1870’s and resisting European domination of their country. The marae is meant to preserve the prophet’s legacy and vision and stands as a symbol of reconciliation of the races; it is still visited as a destination place for people who value peaceful resistance. For example, a recent visitor was Martin Luther King Jr’s son.
After a dinner of chicken, fish, sweet potatoes, salad, jelly (jello) and pavlova, were invited to stay at the marae, yes, a huge group sleepover! Since I usually discourage sleepovers, this felt extraordinary to the girls! In speaking with my colleagues at the university about this much later, I was told this was a great honor and very unusual. Most Pakeha (non-indigenous New Zealanders) don’t ever get this opportunity. A Maori Elder, Teri Puketaou, addressed us that evening, mostly teaching us about the marae itself, the intricacies and art of its structure. He was a young carpenter’s apprentice when the building was being created in the 1950’s. Every part of the interior has meaning. For example, the woven mats on the walls symbolize star clusters, steps to heaven, teeth, flounder, hammerhead sharks etc. The carvings portray important stories and ancestors. Teri instructed us in a touching lecture of the deep meaning the building held for him. In Andy Mitchell’s photo essay, we are shown having classes in the building so you can see some of these details.
For bedtime, mattresses were placed all around the perimeter of the meeting room. Each person had been given a quilt as well, but we had come prepared with our duvets from home. I am glad because it is cold here! Families were grouped together. The snoring from the other side of the room made for rough sleeping. But we got through it. Good thing, because after breakfast the following morning, the girls had to appear at their first day of school!
Our 10 year old, Julia, was absolutely riveted by the language training and marae experience. Language learning is one of her talents I think, and she has especially loved anything connected to Maori culture while we have been here. One of the Maori women was worried our girls would be afraid to sleep in the meeting house, because most children are. But after Teri’s description and explanation, it felt like a loving place, surrounded by stories of his scriptures and grandparents.
Day 2
After breakfast, and sending the kids off to school, I had more classes to attend. Manoa Jackson, a Maori lawyer and leader, gave the morning lecture on “The Treaty of Waitangi.” His bio included the following impressive information:
“He specializes in Treaty and constitutional law and works extensively with Iwi and Maori organizations. He has also worked for the United Nations on indigenous rights issues and in 1990 was appointed Chair of Indigenous People Caucus of the UN Working Group in drafting the Declaration of Indigenous rights.”
This is a link to his photo and more biographical information:
The story of the Treaty of Waitangi is so long and complex. New Zealand does not have a constitution. They still refer to this treaty as one of their founding documents. I feel at a loss to describe the historical grievances of the Maori, and the resolution of the conflicts, which are actually ongoing with water rights at the moment. I also don’t know the story well enough. It is as complex and sad as the story of American Indians. One thing I did learn is that the Pakeha (non-indigenous New Zealander) view is the one that prevails in the history books and this presents a terrible problem for the indigenous person telling the story from their point of view. So this link may tell you some of the story, including the original treaties for you to read if you are interested. But I think Dr. Jackson would argue that it would not properly represent a Maori point of view. He is a passionate advocate.
Some of the complexities I learned about include:
1. There were two versions of the treaty signed, one in te reo and the other in English. They do not translate to mean the same things.
2. Not all the iwi (peoples or nations, some might translate as tribes of Maori people) signed, in fact some refused to sign. So they don’t feel that the treaty applies or ever should have applied to them. There are about 51 or 52 iwi nations in New Zealand. He emphasized that these are fiercely independent nations and still are. We think of them as Maori, but they think of their iwi as being as different as Spain is from France and Germany. Interesting story: Dr. Jackson comes from a nation that sent a female leader to sign the treaty. She was not allowed to because she was a woman (the treaty was with Queen Victoria, so you can imagine why the Maori were puzzled). When the Brits asked her to send another representative, her Iwi was so offended, they refused to sign at all and this was documented.
3. Dr. Jackson does not like the word tribe to describe iwi at all. He did not explain this in a thorough way, but what I understood is that it contextualizes his culture in a way that American Indians are understood and that is not correct for his culture. I think. I hope I got that right.
I learned a lot.
That evening we went to a cocktail party and met lots of former Fulbright scholars, after we had heard all about the first day of school from the girls. We were exhausted by bedtime.
Day 3
Earthquake
emergency preparedness was the focus of the morning lecture. I took this very seriously, because we
experienced a 5.8 on our first day! The
director of the Fulbright program, Mele Wendt, told us the harrowing story of
her experiences in the Christchurch quake.
She was there with a cohort of Fulbrighters as well as the American
ambassador when it happened. She said it
was ten times worse than anything she had ever experienced. It wasn’t just tremors, she described the
floor beneath her jerking back and forth by feet. She described glass breaking and seeing
buildings tumble down next to her and was shocked by the strength of it.
Mele is
seasoned with earthquakes. She has lived
in Samoa and Fiji as well as all of her working life in New Zealand. So she has survived many earthquakes. And as a general rule, she never had made
emergency preparedness a priority as part of Fulbright training because she figured
such a smart group of people would know what to do. But seeing the Fulbrighters sit there during
that quake stunned, continue chatting, as the world was falling down around
them, she decided training was absolutely necessary.
There were
handouts, much like we get in Relief Society at church, with survival kit
lists, emergency plan suggestions, specific instructions for earthquakes as
well as tsunamis, how to handle an evacuation, and the contact chain for how to
handle contacting friends and family.
Just so you know, Fulbright New Zealand likes to use Facebook in this
kind of emergency. They have asked us to
“friend” them, and then if we are in an earthquake, they will post updates
about our status on their pages. It
would be hard to reach us by phone or for us to reach you if something at the
level of the Christchurch emergency happens, but they found that the Facebook
method worked really well. So if you are
worried about us, check the Fulbright NZ page.
The end of
their story last February is quite remarkable.
Because they were all with the American Ambassador, they were all
priority air-lifted out of the area on the first day, even when the airports
were closed. They returned safely to
Wellington and did not have to live with the devastating problem for long. But it was a sobering experience. Mele asked us to really think about our
emergency plans, to discuss them with our families, and to be prepared. We have taken it to heart, stocked the pantry
with necessary items, started water storage as we finish milk jugs and have an
emergency plan with our kind neighbor Janice.
That lecture
was followed by tea-time, which is quickly becoming my favorite part of the
day! The scones on this day were good
representatives of NZ fusion cooking and so worth mentioning: kumara (maori sweet potato) with ribbons of spinach and
feta mixed in.
Dr. George
Gibbs was featured in the next lecture about the flora and fauna of New
Zealand. If I had to pick a favorite, I
think his lecture was the one I connected the most to. I am eager to read his new book, Ghosts of Gondwana. Although I am usually found reading fiction,
I was so drawn to his engaging speech, I think I would enjoy his book. It has gotten great reviews, one of the
compliments being its accessibility combined with depth, so I think I will try
it.
Gondwana means
the southern hemisphere. We usually look
at globes that show a side view, but George likes to look at the globe from the
southern perspective, with Antarctica in the middle of the picture. It really shows a totally different
distribution of land this way and helps better tell the story of the animals
that live here. Climate is pretty even
because it is governed by the ocean.
Gibbs described
the plant life interesting, not exceptional.
It is not deciduous in general, only 40 of their native plants are. He described the animals as exceptional, and
particularly loves bugs and birds. The
weta is something we have seen in our back yard. Don’t touch because they bite!
If you look at this webpage, it can teach you more than you ever
wanted to know about these fearsome bugs.
The only
mammals indigenous to NZ are bats. And
go figure, they also act like MICE! Bats
in New Zealand can fly, but they can also crawl all over the ground. Another fascinating animal is a reptile, the
tuatara. This is one of the few animals
that has been here since the dinosaurs.
How did they survive, when all the others died out? Another puzzle is that no fossils of this
animal have ever been found in NZ or Australia.
No known relatives connect them to anything else. They are a terrific puzzle for
scientists.
And there is an
animal that has a strong connection to the Rockies in the US; the New Zealand
frog is its nearest relative! This frog
is a very old relic of Jurassic times and these frog cousins show the land
connections to the Northern Hemisphere during Pangea times.
The birds are
my favorite to learn about and watch for in the forest and bush. Because there are no natural predators native
to NZ, the birds evolved with some amazing traits. Kiwi’s can’t fly, they have terrible
eyesight, and have tremendous sense of smell.
That is the opposite of most birds!
I am partial to the Kakapo, a parrot that is also flightless. I like the kakpo recovery website
a lot. Check it out!
We finished day
three at the Otari Bush, a native botanic garden. We saw endangered and protected trees like
the Rimu, Kauri and Pukatea. Mark’s
favorite is the fierce longwood, a very freakishly different looking tree. It reminds us of stick bugs!
Claudine
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