Maori - Indigenous Warrior of New Zealand

The Māori People from New Zealand originated from the east of Polynesia and arrived on boats to the land now known as New Zealand in 1250 and 1300 AD. For decades, they have established their rich and complex culture into the most gruesome and fearsome warriors.

The Europeans characterize the Māori warriors as huge men(sometimes even women) with tattoos all over their faces. Despite their scary look, their unique physical traits are what shape them into proper warriors.

ADVERT

Some people out there might not know about the background of the Māori but one thing for sure is that you might have seen the Hakka dance that is very synonymous with the New Zealand, All Blacks team.

Let us see some interesting facts about the Māori tribe, the indigenous of New Zealand.

1. Tattoos As A Social Status

Having tattoos is considered one of the main identities for the Māori and it has become a norm for them to get their whole face tattooed. But do you also know that each of those tattoos is different and has different meanings?

Tattoos are used as a symbol of communication between the tribes to identify the past history of the family, social status, and bloodlines. On top of that, the tattoos are also made in a unique way by the 'Ta Moko' process which is a traditional way of incorporating into the skin using shark's teeth.

To this day, this skill is still being practiced and the tribes which have a big heritage (rangatira- chief) will have the moko on their chin and face.

2. Unique Burial Ritual

The Māori have an extraordinary way of burying their dead ones. Starting in their earliest culture, the Māori will bury the dead as much as two times and you might ask why that would be the case. size: medium; Firstly, after one to two weeks of mourning over the dead, the corpse will be wrapped in a mat and later buried and left to rot. After one year later the corpse will be dug out and its bones will be cleaned off of any flesh remaining.

ADVERT

The bones will be painted in red using natural pigments and will be placed at another site where the dead will once be mourned over. After that, the ritual will start before the bones are buried again.

3. Strategic War

Every group of the Māori will be sent to war which is known as hapu. The group is usually not more than 100 men and in some cases, the women will join in the war as well. There are also instances where a group of hapu will unite but with more warriors being involved, they will be less organized.

The Māori will attack other tribes by wandering to their enemy's camp in stealth or basically pretending that they are on a hunting expedition. When they get close enough, they will start their attack and it usually occurs at dawn.

All the men will be killed to eliminate any chance that any member of the tribe will come back and seek their revenge.

4. Enemy's Head as A Victory Trophy

The head of the enemy is very special to the Māori and they will always cut off their enemy's head as a sign of victory. Then, they will take out the brains and the eyes from the head while the holes are patched with flaxes and rubber.

The head will then be boiled or cooked in an oven, After that, the head will be further dried under the hot sun for a few days and treated with shark liver oil. The reason for keeping the head is so that they can use it to taunt their enemies in the future.

5. Haka Dance

One of the most obvious traditions that we all know today will be the dance performed by the Māori warriors and it is still being practiced today by the national football team of New Zealand. During the dance, the participants will sing, and stomp their feet with their tongues out in an eye-catching way.

The dance has two different purposes. The first one will be as a way to scare the enemy's team as we commonly see in the rugby team. Another reason will be as a ritual before their ultimate battle.

If there were something wrong with the dance then the wise one would know that something bad will definitely happen. This will give them a chance to either leave or change their original plan.

6. The Act of Killing Babies

Similar to other cultures of warriors, the Māori also kill babies. The baby girl will be more prone to be killed since the tribe needs more men to ensure the safety of the tribe as more men will be turned into fearsome warriors.

ADVERT

On top of that, the men will highly likely die in battle making their numbers much lower in the end. Not just that but the baby will also be killed if they found something wrong with them.

7. Hongi - The Way To Communicate

The traditional way for the Māori to greet will be known as "hongi" which is done when two people have their noses in contact with one another while the forehead is pressed against each other.

Hongi is usually used in their traditional meet-up among the Māori and on big occasions such as pōwhiri. Hongi will also be followed with a handshake. In hongi, "ha" (breath of life) is exchanged with the other in a way to show symbolic unity. Hongi can be performed by both the Māori and non-Māori and even outsiders to the people of New Zealand.

Source: