The Maori Of New Zealand :: essays research papers

The Maori of New Zealand     The Maori people, the natives of New Zealand, extradite played a strong partin the development and winner of the small island nation. Their ferocity anddetermination won the respect of the colonizing English, and to this day they ar esteemed members of the society. They take positions in their government andare in engage of their own destinies. Their greetings and posture when havingtheir picture taken for the outside man is a part of culture that I would liketo discuss.     Years ago, back in the days of rampant imperialism, the English navyfound the part of the world that today is referred to as "down under". Theyoriginally came first to Australia, just it was only a matter of time before NewZealand, Australias petite neighbor, was discovered withal. The mighty English, whoat the time was one of the world powers, keep down the natives of Australia,the Aborigine people. The Aborigine, having very little technology, were easilysubdued and the land became an English colony, used at first for its naturalresources but also as a exile or prison colony. The lack of resistance from thenatives make it relatively easy for the English to accomplish their task. Thisgave the Aborigine absolutely no respect from the English, and almost to thisday are they treated as inferiors, by the English. This was not the case withthe neighboring Maoris.     As stated before, the English in the end found their way to the south,where the beautiful island lay untouched by extraneous hands. They also found thatthe island had a native populace just as Australia had had. But one thing wasvery different from these natives. The English, thinking that this island wasalso theirs for the taking, met heavy resistance from the Maori. Many an Englishlife was lost at the hands of these fiercesome warriors, and even though theywere outclassed technologically, still did the Maori fight on. Their persistanceand inclination to typify their land from the invading outsiders won them the respectand admiration of the English. Presently, they hold positions of power in theNew Zealand parliament and are regarded as equals in society.     When a Maori takes a picture for the outside world, e.g. for a post rallyor tourist, their ferocity and determination are shown in their stance andposture. They adopt a fighting pose, with one arm raised above their heads inan attack position and the other in front of them, ready to defend theirmidsection. The best aspect is their facial expressions.