A lesson learned - and loved

The Marlborough Express

Learning about Maori culture and customs can often be something considered `globally hot, locally not'. To challenge this, Marlborough Express reporter CLAIRE CONNELL studied for nine months with the Te Wananga o Aotearoa, at Omaka Marae in Blenheim. She looks back.

"Kia ora te whanau,

Ko Claire toku ingoa,

Ko Ngati Pakeha te iwi,

No reira tena koutou,

tena koutou, tena koutou katoa."

With sweaty hands trembling, hanging on to the piece of paper in front of me for dear life, somehow I got the words out. But only just. It was my first pepeha, a formal greeting detailing where you're from, before about 16 people on the Maori culture course I was enrolled in.

I was shaking, slightly nauseous, but I had completed it without any mistakes. Success!

It was with great enthusiasm, and a bit of nervousness, that I signed up for the Te Wananga o Aotearoa Certificate in Tikanga Marae (Maori culture and protocols) Level 4 in early March 2009, run through Omaka Marae.

It was my goal while I was living in Blenheim to try new things, so I grabbed the opportunity to learn more about Maori culture when the chance came my way.

Apprehension filled me as I stood by the marae gates in early April, surrounded by my soon-to-be classmates.

I didn't know anyone, apart from one woman I had interviewed earlier in the year, and even then I didn't think she recognised me that day.

Little did I know these strangers would soon become close friends.

I learned early on the course would involve nine weekend stays at Omaka Marae (roughly one weekend per month), from Friday after work until Sunday lunchtime, including spending both nights on a mattress in the marae meeting house.

At every marae stay (referred to as noho), about 16 eager Marlborough students would meet to learn Maori culture. Applications for the restricted course were so popular people were turned away. I was surprised by this – there is obviously a market for this type of learning in Blenheim.

Communal living has never been my thing really, probably something to do with sharing a university hostel with 450 other students for a year while studying in Dunedin.

But at the marae, I didn't mind bunking down on a mattress in my sleeping bag with others around me. I'm grateful I'm a deep sleeper though, as I'm told snoring was rife.

The course was a big commitment, not just for me, but also for my peers, who had husbands and wives they left behind one weekend a month to further their education and knowledge.

I'll be honest, sometimes I didn't want to go. I was buggered from a week of full-on work, and missed out on catching up with my friends at the weekend. Some Friday nights, all I wanted to do was put on my pyjamas and crawl into my king-size bed, not a mattress on the floor.

Calls to my mother in Gisborne regularly reminded me to "get over it".

So I did, and I had a blast learning all things Maori.

Activities included learning how to weave flax into a fish shape (easier said than done in my clumsy hands) and mould clay into a carved wind instrument, called a putangitangi. This sounds like a flute when blown.

One thing that was different was the aspect of the whanau (family) environment at the marae. I am not used to having young children running around, and many students would bring theirs on our weekend sojourns. This took a bit of getting used to. None of my friends have children, and most of my younger cousins are grown up. But arriving at the marae every weekend was like arriving back to a ready-made family. It was a good feeling.

The course opened my eyes to the importance of not only text-book knowledge, but real-life experiences. We had many group discussions around protocol, and my fellow peers and tutor Kiley Nepia were mines of information. It proved to me you don't necessarily have to have a university education or master's degree to have extensive knowledge of a subject.

After four years of university education, including one year of postgraduate study, I found the academic side of the course – the four workbooks – pretty easy. However, the subject matter was regularly unfamiliar territory. I knew little about the history of Maori culture, and the reasons behind protocols. We also talked often about the changing role of a Maori person in the 21st century, and how the culture had changed and adapted over the years.

Many common Maori words and phrases were naturally incorporated into the curriculum, meaning I learnt quite a few basics, without having to do a language course.

This was a big plus.

My 16 or so peers ranged from elderly women to male Maori health workers, and covered all age groups and types – many had made the decision to learn about their culture later in life.

Spending 18 years of my life growing up in Gisborne, I was familiar with basic protocol, had Maori friends, learnt te reo at school, and had stayed on many a marae.

But I did not know the culture in depth, and was keen to learn.

Being the only non-Maori on the course also proved challenging at times, but to be completely honest, most of the time it made no difference.

The obvious factor was I was learning about a culture that was not inherently mine, unlike fellow students. But I am a New Zealander and while I may not have Maori ancestry, I believe it is important to learn about the country where you were born and its indigenous culture.

I also had few examples to offer about my own iwi, or tribal group, given that I didn't have one. So I adopted my "Ngati Pakeha" label with pride.

The other students on the course included me and I never had any issues fitting in. They were kind, welcoming and very accepting of my non-Maori heritage and my willingness to embrace theirs. Over the nine months, some became close friends as we helped prepare food on the marae together, cleaned the meeting house and got to know each other.

Course tutor and marae manager Kiley was very approachable when asked for help, and had an easy way of explaining things.

I recommend the course to others, and am now considering doing the te reo Maori language course this year, also run through the marae and the wananga. Course options also include weaving and Maori weaponry.

I believe it is good to do something out of your comfort zone once in a while. For 2009, taking on this course was my chosen activity. I encourage you all to do something different this year – you never know what you might learn or discover.

For more information on the courses Te Wananga o Aotearoa runs through Omaka Marae, or to enrol for 2010, call 0800355553, or Kiley at Omaka Marae on 035789256.

I'll be honest, sometimes I didn't want to go. I was buggered from a week of full-on work, and missed out on catching up with my friends at the weekend. Some Friday nights, all I wanted to do was put on my pyjamas and crawl into my king-size bed, not a mattress on the floor. Calls to my mother in Gisborne regularly reminded me to `get over it' - Claire Connell