Hng

[ika a Whiro]

Coming from New Zealand and being Maori i was just wondering if any of you have ever had a traditional Maori hāngī? I wont insult any of your inteligences on telling you what it is but i have wondered how you have had it or how you would do it.
For me there is nothing finer than pig and chickens and fish and veg all cooked in a pit, it happenens only a couple of times a year now with me, even less since i came to Europe but we always have it on a friends farm at Waitangi day.

Cookie

 

[Stuart]

Hello cookie, welcome to BCUK

We traditionally have a hangi at the annual BCUK Bushmoot event to feed the ravenous masses, it’s the most practical way to feed 200 people in one sitting!

We occasionally get carried away with the heating the pit:

suckling pig being prepared for the hangi:

opening the pit:

suckling pig coming out, the meat falls of the bone and melts in your mouth

the veg is done to perfection too:

we are just getting started with organising this years Bushmoot at the end of July, would you be like to come along and run the hangi?

you’ve probably got more experience with it than any of us and we rarely have the opportunity to have a traditional Maori meal prepared by a Maori!

 

[fred gordon]

Makes me hungry just looking at the pics. I live the expression of the childs face on the 4th pic. Says it all!

 

[Ed]

It was a good feed

Ed

 

[ika a Whiro]

Stuart, that looks bute bro, if im not wrong i see some kūmara, sweet patato, there, man that makes me home sick eh.
I am toying with the idea of going home now im laid up, not sure how long i wont be able to work for, but i would love to come to the next one man.
If there are any of my bro's still in london i will ask them down to perform a proper Marae.
Where is it held bro?


Cookie.

 

[Stuart]

Where is it held bro?

The Bushmoot is held in South Wales at Merthyr Mawr on the last weekend of July (Friday - monday)

Directions:

Take the M4 to Junction 35.
At junction 35 take the A473 towards Bridgend.
At the 3rd roundabout go straight over, heading Northbound on the A48.
At the 2nd roundabout turn left onto the B4265, sign posted to Ogmore-by-Sea.
Take the next proper right hand turn sign posted to Merthyr Mawr.
Take next proper left hand turn again sign posted to Merthyr Mawr.
Follow the road into Merthyr Mawr village and at the junction in the village stay to the right.
Follow the road out of village until it ends in a car park.
At the entrance to the car park go through the left hand gate (it may be shut - if so just open it, and close it again behind you) into the forested area.
Drive along the left hand track until you reach the event parking area

OS Grid Ref: SS 872 773

If there are any of my bro's still in london i will ask them down to perform a proper Marae.

Tell us more, I was under the impression that Marae was an area of land or building that acts as a sort of village hall rather than an actual event, but I must admit to knowing very little about maori culture.

If you don’t mind me asking, is your avatar picture of your moko? Was it hand tapped?

 

[Longstrider]

From Wikipedia....

Marae in New Zealand

A marae beneath Taupiri mountain, Waikato district, 19th centuryIn Māori society, the marae is a place where the culture can be celebrated, where the Māori language can be spoken, where intertribal obligations can be met, where customs can be explored and debated, where family occasions such as weddings and birthdays can be held, and where important ceremonies, such as extending a formal welcome to visitors or farewelling the dead, can be performed. Like the related institutions of old Polynesia, the marae is a wāhi tapu, a 'sacred place' which carries great cultural meaning.

In Māori usage, marae is technically the enclosed space in front of a wharenui or meeting house (literally "big house"). However, it is generally used to refer to the whole complex, including the buildings and the open space.[3] An unambiguous term for the area in front of the wharenui is marae ātea. This area is used for pōwhiri - welcome ceremonies featuring oratory. Some marae do not allow women to perform oratory there. The meeting house is the locale for important meetings, sleepovers, and craft and other cultural activities. The wharekai (dining hall) is used primarily for communal meals, but other activities may be carried out there. Many of the words associated with marae in tropical Polynesia are retained in the Māori context. For example, the word paepae refers to the bench where the speakers sit; this means it retains its sacred and ceremonial associations.

 

[ika a Whiro]

Tell us more, I was under the impression that Marae was an area of land or building that acts as a sort of village hall rather than an actual event, but I must admit to knowing very little about maori culture.

If you don’t mind me asking, is your avatar picture of your moko? Was it hand tapped?

A Marae is indeed part of where we live rather than the process, but while i am of theTaranaki iwi, everybody else are from diferant iwi, none of us share a tribe, so to have a Marae in the true sense would be hard, and to perform a pōwhiri we would have to not only list every single tribe we come from but also every single tribe we are greeting, a long process that really is only reserved for Maori.
Longstrider it is true that women are excluded from Marae, but remember until recently our Royal was a Queen, and we are a diferant people to the Hori that live in a life of drugs chrime and grog mate.
I use the term Marea as a general word, that pretty much covers a wide area of customs, some of which are so complicated that i still dont understand all of them, and some we have stopped using a long time ago.


No i didnt get my Moko hand tapped, i dont know of anyone back home who does now, i had mine done in Christchurch, the guy is supposed to be touring Europe next year, he is amazing and to be honest the design is so complex eh that for the time it takes you wouldnt want it to be hand tapped. That stuff is for the Mob and Blacks boys.
Just a question bro, are you interested in getting a Ta Moko and why?


Cookie.

 

[Stuart]

A Marae is indeed part of where we live rather than the process, but while i am of theTaranaki iwi, everybody else are from diferant iwi, none of us share a tribe, so to have a Marae in the true sense would be hard, and to perform a pōwhiri we would have to not only list every single tribe we come from but also every single tribe we are greeting, a long process that really is only reserved for Maori.
I use the term Marea as a general word, that pretty much covers a wide area of customs, some of which are so complicated that i still dont understand all of them, and some we have stopped using a long time ago.

interesting, thanks for explaining, I hope we have an opportunity to meet you at the Bushmoot

No i didnt get my Moko hand tapped, i dont know of anyone back home who does now, i had mine done in Christchurch, the guy is supposed to be touring Europe next year, he is amazing and to be honest the design is so complex eh that for the time it takes you wouldnt want it to be hand tapped. That stuff is for the Mob and Blacks boys.

That’s a beautiful example of Ta Moko you have there, as I understand it these designs would be specific to your whakapapa? (not sure if that is the correct spelling or use of the word there, if not I apologise)

Just a question bro, are you interested in getting a Ta Moko and why?

Certainly not, I am not Maori and I would never dream of disrespecting the Maoritanga by Fraudulently displaying Ta Moko

I was however honoured and deeply humbled to have 'Pantang' given to me By the Iban of Rayang, Borneo. This has lead to a general interest in hand tapped tattoo methods and the sacred designs of those cultures in the world that practice ritual tattooing

 

[ika a Whiro]

Stuart,
Yeah bro, my Ta moko is very specific, mine is symbolic of my iwi strugle against oppresion, it above my heart to show my courage and strength that is found in our line.

I know lots of Pākehā who have Ta moko, and it is probably OK here in the Uk back home its bad, guys get beat up pretty bad for it, it gets quite intense.


You must have had a wild time in Borneo, i travelled through a bit of asia on my way to Europe, wouldnt mind going back when i go home eh

Cookie

 

[Greg]

That has got to be the biggest Cooking Fire I have ever seen, I dread to imagine how big the rocks were and how long did it take to dig the hole or was it a Digger job?

 

[Ed]

and how long did it take to dig the hole or was it a Digger job?

Actually, we got the kids to dig it as part of their game whilst they were shooting aliens ..... dont ask.... you had to be there And a cracking job they did too..... some adults did help outwith it, but to be honest I just thought they wanted to get in on the alien game they were all playing.


Ed

 

[Stuart]

You must have had a wild time in Borneo, i travelled through a bit of asia on my way to Europe, wouldnt mind going back when i go home eh

Cookie

yeah, borneo sure can be fun!

 

[dommyracer]

Just a question bro, are you interested in getting a Ta Moko and why?

Certainly not, I am not Maori and I would never dream of disrespecting the Maoritanga by Fraudulently displaying Ta Moko

out of interest cookie, what's your view on this? The art of tattoo and skin art is something of interest to me, and there's obviously a big fashion at the moment for people having tattoo work based on ritual markings etc.

Just as you say that some frown on Pākehā having Ta Moko, is there such a stance on Maori having Moko that has not been hand-tapped? I am right in thinking that this is done with a chisel-type implement as well, rather than a needle? Being as it is a ritual style, does having the desgn done with modern tattoo equipment take anything away from the Moko?

(I just wanted to add that this is not criticism in any way, I understand that it is not easy to find someone skilled in the hand tapping and its a damn sight more painful - I am genuinely interested in your thoughts.)

Dominic

 

[ika a Whiro]

out of interest cookie, what's your view on this? The art of tattoo and skin art is something of interest to me, and there's obviously a big fashion at the moment for people having tattoo work based on ritual markings etc.

Just as you say that some frown on Pākehā having Ta Moko, is there such a stance on Maori having Moko that has not been hand-tapped? I am right in thinking that this is done with a chisel-type implement as well, rather than a needle? Being as it is a ritual style, does having the desgn done with modern tattoo equipment take anything away from the Moko?

(I just wanted to add that this is not criticism in any way, I understand that it is not easy to find someone skilled in the hand tapping and its a damn sight more painful - I am genuinely interested in your thoughts.)

Dominic

Well bro for me it was simple. I know few of my brothers who have had it hand tapped, the spiritual side of it i can understand, it takes some courage to sit for days and have a Moko done as large as mine, but all that shows to me is that you have tollerance to pain, and there is enough macho crap in Maori gang culture without that!
My iwi dont have a problem with it, in fact few people get one done anymore, but some do eh, for me its what has been decided as your Ta Moko thats is important, not how its done or even, in my case, where its done.
The chisel style tends to leave the skin all raised, my cuzzie has one on his ****, and i dont really like it.
I wear mine with pride however it got there, it was decided by my iwi what i should have and i get my sense of who i am, what i am and where im from, from it.