happy medium

We shot our third video for Nesian Mystik this weekend. The Nesian group is a mixed bunch with NZ, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island, Māori Blood, even a bit of English and Chinese thrown in for good measure.

We decided to film in and around lead singer Awa’s family Marae. For non-kiwis – the Marae is a holy place for Māori, an enclosed space in front of and including a (meeting house) and a wharekai (dining hall). It is the spiritual home for each Iwi (tribe) and it’s various Whānau (families).
This is where all decisions are made and meetings, funerals, ceremonies, birthdays are held here.

However, strangers cannot just wonder onto the Marae – and have to go through Pōwhiri, or a welcoming ceremony. This involves someone for the Iwi representing you, and leading you onto the land while the Karanga (women calling/singing in Māori) takes place. You then enter the wharenui, the local leaders speak, and both the hosts and guests must sing a song. The Hongi takes place last – this is where you touch noses and is symbolic as you share the same breath and become family. You are then free to enter the Marae at any time.

Larger version here

Larger version here

One thing to note is that you are not a guest, rather a member of the family and expected to help with the upkeep of the Marae.

After the ceremony, we filmed a little, listened to the guys play guitar and sing, got a few hours kip (everyone sleeps in the wharenui, and those polys know how to snore!), got up before sunrise and filmed through-out the day.

It was a great experience for this Pākehā, something I’ve wanted to do for some time. It wasn’t like the ones put on for the tourists,and wasn’t as full on and drawn out as some can be by all accounts.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 9:05 am and is filed under happy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.