The land of New Zealand

It was a cold and foggy morning when the nymphs and Frodo decided to leave to New Zealand. Their mission was to reach the Maori land and find the spell that will undo the curse that their land was suffering. An exciting and worrying smile was coming out from their little faces.

The path was long... hours and hours travelling where the looks of concern from the nymphs encouraged the hobbit to start explaining some stories about the new land...


Frodo: - " Do you know that Maoris are the indigenous people from NZ? Its native language is the Maoritang. It is believed that its antecesstors migrate by canoe from the Polynesia around the X centure BC. When the Maoris arrived to Aotearoa (New Zealand) they found a volcanic land capped with snow on its mountains. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand and it means the land of the long white cloud."



Nymphs: - " Really? Very interesting! And what does Maori mean?"

Frodo: - " Maori means the local people or the first innhabitants. The word Maori was used to differentiate the locals from the "pakeha". These last ones are the Europeans who settled in their land."

Nymphs: - " And, when did the Europeans arrive?"

Frodo: - " The first European explorer, Abel Tasman, arrived to New Zealand in 1642. Four member of his tripulation were killed when they encountered with Maori people. It wasn't until 1769 when the British explorer James Cook established a friendly relatioship with Maoris. From then on, the visit of European boats were quite often. In 1840 Maori chiefs and the British crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty was designed to ensure that Maori chiefs kept their the authority (rangatiranga) under the British soveregnity. However, both parties understood the treaty differently and this led into some confrontations soon after. The imposition to the European legal and economic system meant that many Maori lands were possessed by the Pakeha (Europeans)>"

Nymphs: - "But then... did the treaty last at all?"

Frodo: - "Yes, the treaty brought New Zealand into the British empire and gave the Maoris the same rights as the British citizens. Nowadays, New Zealand is an independent nation within the British Commonwealth. Altough the British monarch is constitutionally the head of state, she does not play any active role in New Zealand's government. Today, many of the treaties are being discussed and NZ's government is making an effort to reward the Maori tribes for some of the lands that were illegally confiscated."

Nymphs: - " Oh God! So unfair!! ... and... do they keep any presence of Maori culture nowadays?"

Frodo: - " Before the Europeans settled in New Zealand, all the Maori literature was orally passed from generation to generation. This literature contained many legends and "waitaia" (songs). The most famous tradition is the "Haka", the war dance. Maoris used to dance the Haka at the beginning of any war. This dance has been immortalized by the national rugby team, the All Blacks. They dance the Haka before all their matches."





Song

Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai
Whakawhiti te ra
A upa ... ne! ka upa ... ne!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!

Translation

I die! I die! I live! I live!
I die! I die! I live! I live!
This is the hairy man
Who fetched the sun
And caused it to shine again
One upward step! Another upward step!
An upward step, another.. the Sun shines!


Nymphs: - " Yeah!!!!! We have seen this dance before! And they also have a symbol of some leaf on their gear, don't they? What's that?


Frodo: - " That is the silver fern. This plant represents the people from NZ. Its leaves are dark green from one side and a silver color underneath. The silver part shines with high intensity under the moonlight showing the path to follow in the dense forests of NZ. This plant was used as a bed linen by the Maoris in past centuries due to its soft texture.



Nymphs: - "And, what's this thing that they greet with their noses?"

Frodo: - " This is the "Hongi", , it is a greeting that involves to press the nose of the other person a couple of times. It is equivalent to the two kisses that you do in Spain."



Nymphs: - "So funny!!! Let's try!!



Frodo: - " Another feature to emphasize in the Maori culture are the striking tattoos that they wear. Some Maoris have tatoos in their faces. In the past, those tatoos in the face (moko) were forbiden for women from the chin to the nose.
Today, many Maoris still wear their mokos to keep their culture and identity.





The voice of the little hobbit, melodic and slow, made the nymphs fall asleep gradually....

Frodo:- " Wake up!!!! We are arriving now!

The face of the nymphs, between sleep and excited, made Frodo decide that it was the moment to give the nymphs the amulet that will help them in their mission.

Frodo: - " Here you have an amulet that will help us in difficult times. This amulet resembles the shape of a flower from the silver fern. Its rounded shape expresses the idea of perpetual movement and its coil insinuates the return to the point of origin. The koru shows the path where life does both things: it changes and it stays the same.
This amulet will help us to find the spell to undo the current curse on your land."









The nymphs held the koru with all their strength and looking at the sky they made a wish.




Frodo: -" Keep this koru as a symbol of the creation of our friendship and as a guide to come back to your original point. You have to have it with you all the time during this mission. Its strength and energy will help us to beat all the coming difficulties."

And so the nymphs of the river and Frodo arrived to the mountanious city of Queenstown.