Land and Culture
The Answers Are Only Natural.
Through the ages, the peoples of the Whakarewarewa Valley have been inextricably entwined with the land. The valley dictated how tribes lived, where they built, what food sources existed and safety from enemies.
Extreme conditions meant specific protocols were needed to ensure survival. Bathing pools were never used for cooking to safeguard against disease and illness. Customs were, therefore, set in place for the continued health of the tribe.
Thus, the land provided, inspired and shaped the culture. Stories began from what they saw every day – their own environment. The land, the wildlife, the people came through in their songs, their haka and their beliefs.
“If we started looking at the land more, we would have the answers to how we will survive,” says Environmental and Assets Manager, Grace Neilson.
Many trees, for example, have medicinal purposes. Where there is a large quantity of a certain tree, there will be a reason. “Look at the trees and they will tell you the illness that is likely to be affecting that tribe because Nature always grows what is needed in abundance," says Grace. The culture was therefore grounded in logic, policy and adaptation for simple day to day living.
A hut built in the right spot could have central heating and access to boiling water in an age before plumbing. Because of extreme temperatures and sulphur, large crops could not grow. The valley, therefore, dictated trade with other tribes, storage, health and diet.
Even in traditional performances, bubbling waters and wildlife endemic to the valley are imitated in gestures and movements not used by other tribes. Every facet of tribal life was connected back to the earth. “If you understand the land, it has a purpose. A tree may be holding up a bank. Today if we want to make a path we move that tree. If you do that you’ve failed because it was there for a purpose. Everything is,” says Grace. “Those are the things the old people knew and lived by. Culture was common sense.”
Thus, to the Maori the land is protector, provider and parent. The Mother who must be respected, for She is everything.
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