Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand: Understanding the Culture, Protocols and Customs

Book Author Buddy Mikaere
Rights Available World 

Starting with the beaching of his Mataatua Bay of Plenty ancestral canoe, Buddy Mikaere provides a highly readable historical overview of Māori in New Zealand and goes on to examine the impact of a changing urban world on the traditional way of life. He describes the renaissance of Māori culture and the revival of language and traditions that were nearly lost to the past. The importance of marae and community, with tribal structure still evident in the settlement of Māori Treaty of Waitangi claims, the vitality of kapa haka and waka ama for Māori youth, the art of tā moko tattooing – all of these modern manifestations of culture are discussed and reviewed. Customs observed in formal situations, where people meet and greet one another, and at the marae where they come together to communicate and share hospitality, is described in detail, as is the tradition of burial. Photographs drawn from various sources, both historical and current, give a vivid impression of Māori traditions.

About the Author
Buddy Mikaere of Ngāti Pukenga and Ngāti Ranginui descent has run an environmental consultancy with a national client base for the past 15 years; he is a well-respected historian and has published widely in his specialist field of 19th century race relations and on Māori history in general. He acted as editor on Taonga Tuku Iho: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Māori Life by A. W. Reed.