Famous Maori Soprano Singer!

Here is a video of famous singer Kire te Kanawa, a world renowned soprano singer who is also of Maori descent

Stories and Legends

Marcus Winter is an indegenious artist of New Zealand, and is the only "performance painter" of his kind in Australasia and the Pacific.

The following is his live art performance using Sand Art. Marcus tells the Māori creation story of the world being formed by the violent separation of Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, by their children.

He later proceeds to present day landmarks of Auckland, New Zealand and ends with the welcome to the audience to the event

Famous Maori alert!

 Jermaine Clement! Raised by his Maori mother, Clement is now a famous actor, comedian and musician.

In the late 90s, Jermaine teamed up with Taika Cohen, also known as Taika Waititi, whose father is a Maori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. The two formed the comedy duo called the Humourbeasts. In 2004, the pair toured New Zealand with their show called "The Untold Tales of the Maui", which rewrote the traditional Maori tales of the Māui.  

 
Nowadays, Jermaine is greater known as one half of the popular musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, along with Bret McKenzie. They are simply hilarious.

Here's a clip from their t.v. show to give you a little hint of what they're about:
http://www.youtube.com/

Kakahu- Maori Clothing

Maori clothing is made from traditional textiles and plants. Here are some characteristic garments worn by the Maori people.

Raincoat
This traditional raincoat is usually made of flax or kiekie

Tatua
This is a traditional belt


Korowai
This is a traditional special occasion cloak


Piupiu
This is a Maori kilt. The body of the piupiu is usually made from flax leaves that are carefully prepared with the muka or flax fibre exposed in some sections to cause geometric patterns to emerge.

Maori Haka

Here's a link to a video clip from the PBS series "Dances of Life"
Its a clip on one of the Haka, traditional Maori dances and chants.



The translated chant goes:

Make the earth tremble
As hard as we can
I am doomed! I will die!
No I am alive! Life is mine!
I will be defeated! I will die!
No! I take back my life. Life is mine!
I am born of distinguished people
Whose legacy shines on me like the sun.
Keep abreast! Keep abreast!
In your ranks hold fast! Into the shining sun!
- Maori War chant

guess what I found....

Was flipping through my art history textbook the other day, and stumbled across this very interesting page...
It's a comparison of two portraits of Te Pehi Kupe, the first by Englishman John Henry Sylvester, and the second by Te Pehi Kupe himself.
Who was Te Pehi Kupe? He was a Maori rangatira (political leader) and war leader, who played an significant role in the "Musket Wars". He was killed in his sleep in 1828 during a Kaiapoi night raid on the Ngati Toa.
What is so interesting about this page? Both portraits portray the leader's facial tattooing. However, as the author points out, in Sylvester's rendition he includes Te Pehi Kupe's head, shoulders, and British attire to underplay the tattoos. In contrast, the self-portrait consists of nothing but Te Pehi Kupe's tattoo, demonstrating the design's enormous importance to Kupe, symbolizing his position in his community.