The History of Poi: First meeting with the Maori

On Wednesday I had the great pleasure of meeting Dawn Nathan, a very friendly Maori woman living in Vancouver, BC.

Dawn came to North America 30 years ago with five other Maori performers. They spent years performing traditional Maori song and dance at schools in Los Angeles. Dawn later moved to Vancouver with some of the others. She visits New Zealand most years.

Dawn was raised near Wellington, on the North Island of New Zealand. She was brought up speaking mostly english, but she understands Maori, and performs the traditional songs and dances.

Dawn bought me a coffee and proved to be one of the friendliest and brightest people I've met. If the other people I meet in New Zealand are half as friendly and smart as her, I'm in for a very life enriching trip.

I showed her some of the videos I'm working on. She agreed that what I do isn't really "poi" as the Maori do it, but that it certainly comes from traditonal poi. She seemed to be supportive of this, which made me happy. She has offered to help me contact Maori Elders in New Zealand, and says I want to go to the North Island, where the majority of the Maori live (and always have).

Dawn told me a bit about the history of New Zealand. Apparently the Maori were never defeated by the Europeans. Fighting between the groups ended in a treaty, and the Maori are very integrated into New Zealand, with their language and heritage intact.

In New Zealand there are about 590,000 Maori, in a country of about 4,000,000. The Maori language is widely spoken, and is now taught in public schools, as are many Maori traditions. There are varying Maori dialects on different parts of the island, but there is no trouble communicating between dialects. This has made it possible for the Maori culture to thrive throughout New Zealand. In fact, as there is no longer fighting between tribes, the culture of the Maori is becoming more inclusive than ever. Maori songs are being sung throughout new zealand, when long ago songs might have stayed within tribes or regions of the island.

Dawn confirmed some other things we had learned: Poi is very much a part of the song and dance practices of the Maori, and is rarely practiced on its own. There are a variety of poi practices: single short poi, double short poi, single long poi, and double long poi. Poi dancing was practiced by the daughters of chieftains, for a variety of reasons, including the development of poise and grace. The men used to practice poi to develop strength and coordination for battle. They also used the Taiaha, a long, club-like tool and weapon.

No, the Maori did not use fire-poi, and to Dawn's knowledge they still don't.

Dawn showed us some traditional poi dancing. She hummed the song as she danced.

I'm very excited that Dawn is helping to put me in touch with Maori elders in New Zealand. I do, however, have to change my original plans, and extend my stay :)