McCrain's
in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures
in New Zealand
In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?) What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.
The Mitai Maori
Our Cultural Exchange Experience
As
tired as we were from a day of hiking, we went ahead with our plans
to visit the Mitai Maori village for a "hangi". Rotorua is
also the traditional hub of Maori Culture, with several tribes still
owning and living on their ancestral lands. The Mitai Tribe
offers visitors an opportunity to experience a little of their culture
and history, as well as to participate in a traditional "hangi"
or meal. It is an experience that you do NOT want to miss!
The
evening starts with a meeting between the Mitai Chief and the "Chief"
of our visiting "tribe." We were welcomed into the ancient
village through the use of many elaborate and exciting rituals, and
were then brought into the Mitai culture through the exchange of "the
breath of life" which is symbolized by the touching 
of
noses. As we walked upon the Mitai's ancestral land for
the first time, we learned about the significance of "the four
winds" and the "sacred feet." Once the
formalities of entering the village were over, and we had been accepted
into their tribe, our Mitai hosts treated us to a display of traditional
Maori song, dance, ritual, and the use of traditional weapons. Of course,
they performed the incredibly intimidating 
"haka"
or "war dance." Let me tell you, even though I knew what to
expect, and that we were not in any danger of being attacked, it still
took my breath away. I have never been so intimidated in
my life, and we were only being confronted by six warriors!
If I had been the first Anglo to land on these shores and seen hundreds
of these fierce warriors coming at me, I would have swam back to my
boat and sailed away. These guys are fierce!
One of the more interesting items about
the evening was that this "Tribe" 
actually
IS a tribe. Everyone in the performance is related, and everyone in
the Family takes part in the experience. We were treated to seeing a
young boy who was just starting to go through the "man-hood"
rituals and training. Other warriors were in various stages of their
training. The "Chief" 
actually
IS the Chief of the Mitai. His brother was our "guide" through
the cultural evening and acted as our translator. It isn't just the
men that are involved, either. Several of the women take an active role
in the performances, showing the techniques and skill involved with
using the "poi." (For the men, it is a weapon. For the women,
they have turned it into a dance art form.) The entire family is involved
and is extremely proud of their unique heritage.
I thank the Mitai Tribe for allowing Kathy and I to join them in this celebration of their culture, and for allowing us a brief glimpse of their traditional lifestyle.
Oh yeah! The food was excellent!
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