Research paper topic Syrian Presbyterian Culture and Notions of Familial Piety You will do in depth research Your presentation will focus on some (not all) of the following regarding the cultural

Informative Preparation Outline

Specific Purpose statement: To inform my audience of two main aspects of Māori culture

Central Idea statement: The two unique aspects of Māori culture I will discuss include: the family and the ancestral land.

Tēnā koe (literally for you)

INTRODUCTION

*I. It’s a beautiful day outside, perfect rugby weather. You are about to play against the New Zealand national team. Your opponents appear, dressed all in black, and begin advancing towards you. They are yelling, stomping, firing crazy eyes, and spewing anger in their words which you can’t understand. Suddenly, you are having second thoughts about tackling such an intimidating group.

*II. This is what it’s like to play the New Zealand All Blacks national rugby team. The powerful movements, vocalizations, facial expressions, and rhythms on display when they perform the Haka dance are but one aspect of the unique culture of the indigenous people of New Zealand.

*III. I have been doing research on New Zealand as a possible destination for my upcoming honeymoon ever since a good friend of mine traveled there for his. The Haka dance was something I had seen in sports highlights and YouTube videos. My interest in the originates from when I was exposed to its landscapes in The Lord of the Rings movie series.

*IV. In order to understand the uniqueness of the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Māori, I will go into detail on their family life and how they utilize and revere their ancestral land.

BODY

*I. First, and of extreme significance in Maori culture, is the family and how it influences other aspects of their lives.

According to an article by Shailesh Kumar et. al published in the International Review of Psychiatry in 2012, “the internal workings of Maori social networks are based upon the concepts of whänau (family), hapu (extended family), iwi (tribe) and waka, with the last term (literally meaning canoe) signifying unification around a common ancestor.”
1. They found that family and familial ties were the way in which Maori social structure was determined, thus making it a socio-centric culture.
2. Due to this structure, Maori culture focuses its power and authority “with the group rather than the individual.”
3. The family is the one responsible for daily decision making.
4. The extended family “operates as a basic political unit” and are focused on maintenance and cultivation of land and resources.
5. The tribe functions to support all its members in their group and individual endeavors.
6. Finally, each tribe is “intimately linked to the seven waka from which all Maori have common ancestry.” This allows the individual tribes to “share their history and form common connections.”
An article published in the Gulf Daily News in August of 2012 states that “Maoris have no written record of their ancestry, instead using elaborate designs on their homes, canoes and bodies.”
1. They also believe that the land where they came from plays a role in defining oneself.
2. Maintaining the land and having reverence for it are important tenets in their family life.
3. The lack of written records makes the importance of the waka and the education of its children in the Maori ways that much more important.
4. This genealogy “defines kinship, determines the rights of people and governs the patterns and significance of their relationships.”
The website on “A to Z World Culture” maintained by the World Trade Press states that “the extended family system is common mainly among Maoris, where parents, children, grandparents, aunts, and uncles live together in the same house.”
1. Because of the importance of family, Maori children are usually the focus of each whanau.
2. The need for children in order to maintain a family line causes “second marriages [that] are common when the first wife cannot bear children.”
3. There is no one head of the household with the elders sharing the burden of major decision making.
4. Both men and women are expected to work to help the family.

**Transition or connective: While family life can seem strict and regulated, the Maori do enjoy indulging in sports and outdoor activities to take advantage of the land they care deeply for and spend much time cultivating.

*II. With the amazing landscapes resulting from an ideal environment and climate, the Maori hold the land of New Zealand and the experiences it provides with much reverence.

In Bianca Ranson’s TedxWaiheke talk from 2015, she explains how the word for land, whenua, is the exact same as the word for placenta or afterbirth.
1. She describes this Maori relationship as an umbilical cord that directly connects the Maori people to the land.
2. The activities that one does are in accordance with the Maori calendar or moon cycles.
3. Due to their strict adherence to nature and the cycles it goes through, the women are not allowed to go in the water when they are on their own “moon cycle.”
4. The Maori hold the welfare of their lands, rivers, and mountains in high esteem.
5. They are more focused on planning for the prosperity of future generations in making decisions for today, thus why maintaining the environment is important.
Outdoor activities are a major part of Maori life and culture as Bianca states she was taught things such as “kayaking, abseiling, tramping, scuba diving, weaving, gardening, carving, and karanga which is a welcome call.”
1. Rugby is the national sport and a part of their identity as a nation.
  1. The Haka, which is a traditional war challenge originating in Maori culture, is an integral part of every All Blacks’ match.
  2. The dance is intended to intimidate members of the opposition, or formerly opposing warring tribes.
  3. The dance is made even more fierce due extensive designs representing their “family tree, skills, ambitions and social status” that are “tattoo[ed] on all parts of the body, including their face” according to the Gulf Daily News’ article I referenced earlier.
2. “A to Z World Culture’s” website also states that New Zealand “spends over 70 million dollars annually to create sport and recreation systems for building enthusiasm and encouraging participation in sporting activities.”
  1. This stems from Maori culture’s reverence of the outdoors.
  2. The hapu “protect the local resources and support the land; the land being a critical component of Maori identity” as stated in the article by Shailesh Kumar et. al published in the International Review of Psychiatry in 2012.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion,

*I. (Summary) I have explained how the family values and their reverence of their ancestral lands have shaped the uniqueness that is the culture of the indigenous Maori of New Zealand.
*II. (Clincher) As the Maori would want me to say, tēnā koe, which literally means for you, but translates to thank you.

Bibliography

Shailesh Kumar, Peter Dean, Barry Smith & Graham W. Mellsop (2012) Which family – What

therapy: Maori culture, families and family therapy in New Zealand, International Review of Psychiatry, 24:2, 99-105, DOI: 10.3109/09540261.2012.656303. 23 July 2020.

"Discovering the Maori's Culture." Gulf Daily News, Aug 25, 2012. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.elib.southwest.tn.edu:3443/docview/1035049673?accountid=28717. 23 July 2020.

World Trade Press. "New Zealand: Cultural Overview." AtoZ World Culture, 24 July 2020, https://www-atozworldculture-com.elib.southwest.tn.edu:3443/new-zealand/cultural-overview.html. 24 July 2020.

Ranson, Bianca. “Living and Working by Maori Customs, Values and Culture ...” Youtube, TEDxWaiheke, 4 Sept. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ljHI9zKTp4. 24 July 2020.