Maori Museum - Auckland

We were greeted by the deeply resonating sound of a Maori horn welcoming us into the museum. I'm told that the Maori greeting protocol consists of touching noses, not rubbing, and mingling your breath. Then you become a part of the particular *marae* where you were greeted.

They didn't do this with us, probably because we were too many.

The Maori carvings are exquisite and adorn everything. Inside the marae (meeting house) the ceiling is meant to reflect a person. The beam running down the middle of the ceiling is the spine, and the arms that support the sloping roof on either side are the ribs. There arms are each decorated with a different pattern but one design is consisten to each of them: they must have an unbroken line going from the spine to the end.

One of the most spectacular items was a warrior canoe long enough to hold 100 warriors. It was created from a single tree trunk. There is a floor on this canoe made or reeds under which the warriors could store their food or, captured slaves. Not very pleasant quarters.

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