A Note From Alan

Hi All,

Hope things are starting to hum around ESST and Acadia. There is tons of stuff happening here. Here is one of my adventures and things I am thinking about…

On my way home from a magical trip to the Hamilton Gardens, I was drawn to a large number of big white tents and a sign for a Maori cultural and arts festival across from the Gardens parking lot. There were displays, workshops, war canoe rides, carving etc. So I was bumbling about taking the displays in when a woman asked if I wanted to go to the Haka. Haka is the name for a Maori dance, which comes in a wide variation of forms. Not knowing much, but up for anything, I said yes and headed outside to wait with a Maori guide in a grassy area, and we started to chat. He explained very little and then asked/told me that I would sort of be “the white chief” for the Haka, which meant I was the spokesperson for the audience. It seems that one must first be challenged outside by the warrior dancers, and if one accepts the challenge properly and appropriately, everyone is then invited inside for the full performance.

So I sat waiting out front of everyone. From the tent, three Maori warriors with full face paint and war clubs ceremoniously advanced on me, stopping just a couple of feet in front of me with war clubs flying by my face in a martial arts sort of way. My Maori guide explained what to do and politely suggested that I not move forward before he instructed me to (unfortunately he was whispering in my bad ear, but don’t worry, there was little chance of me challenging the war clubs which were zinging by my face). Eventually, the last warrior laid a rose on the ground between us, stepped back, and then I was told to fetch it and return to my spot. Presto, the intensely hostile and intimidating faces turned welcoming and we all followed the warriors inside to a tent theatre and were treated to a wonderful performance of various forms of dances. By the end I was dragged up on stage to practice the specific Haka that the New Zealand Rugby team (the All Blacks) performs in front of their opponents before every match. It was pretty funny. The performance troop had been together for many years (about 25 of them) and made the finals of the Maori national competition, which is a huge yearly event with regional qualifying, etc. They were good. These pictures are not of the performers but are from the web (it was not an appropriate time or place for pictures). These web pictures look very similar and at least give you the feel.

I have been reading a bit of New Zealand history and appreciating the differences between the Maori place in New Zealand culture vs aboriginal presence in Canadian culture. Though Maori are economically and socially disadvantaged relative to “pakehas”, it is nowhere near as bad as Canada. Maori culture is seen as a proud foundation for mainstream New Zealand culture. Can you imagine Team Canada proudly performing an aboriginal war dance just after O Canada at every Olympic hockey game?  But that’s what the New Zealand rugby team does as well as every other New Zealand national team. The Rugby All Blacks are even more famous here than Team Canada would be in Canada (rugby rules!).

 The fact that that the Maori word “pakeha” exists and is used by pakeha suggests the fundamental difference. Pakeha means “people who came from across the sea (i.e., British/European).” It is a constant implicit reminder that white New Zealanders were not the first peoples of this land, which everyone recognizes. In Canada, First Nations people often remind others that they are the first peoples, but there is no word that non-aboriginal Canadians use to describe themselves as not of this land. Can you imagine non-aboriginal Canadians describing themselves as “Second Canadians”? This is an important distinction. This sense of Maori presence is always about as most place names are Maori except those of the major cities (everyone groans when I butcher another Maori name despite my best efforts). All the formal events we have been to are opened by a Maori welcome. Also most institutions, even if they are pakeha, have a “Kumatua”. This is a Maori elder or advisor, sort of in the role of a chaplain.

I am starting to explore how and why there is such a different ethic here. So far I have uncovered a bunch of things. The Maori never really lost on the battle field where they fought aggressively against the British. There were heavy casualties on both sides.  They were instead marginalized from the huge numbers of British landing and through the devastation of population loss due to no immunity to European germs. They also all spoke the same language, united in the face of the British invasion, and were more settled on land. They “missed out” on residential schools and an “Indian Act” though there was a lot of racism and discrimination. A strong aggressive posture won them more respect from the British even if there are lots of challenges and social issues before them today. Something to think about.

Alan

A Note From Alan

Welcome to (or back to) Acadia, or Ki Ora in the first language of New Zealand/Aotearoa, my country for this year of sabbatical. I hope you all had a wonderful summer and I am sorry I was not there to greet folks (though not too sorry given my current abode).  I thought I would share a bit of my summer, which was quite an adventure… sea to sea on a bike, more than 7600 kms wandering across Canada. It took 3 months. If you are interested in the stories of the trip, there are many at warpotayadventures.blogspot.com. Before and during the trip, many folks asked the questions “why would you do it?... what will you learn?... is it worth it? Here are my answers now that it’s all over…

“Yes, it was worth it, it was one of the most significant travel experiences of my life, rivaled only by a year in India years ago. Yet when I look at the photos or watch the short videos, I find the pictures and words don’t do it justice, because at the heart of it all was the mammoth amount of rich and multifaceted experience— highs, lows, wind, rain, snow, people, communities and culture. It was not a simulated experience but a very real one with a large dose of adversity mixed with enthusiasm and exhilaration. Why could we not drive about, car camp, hitchhike, take the train, or whatever for a few months and achieve the same thing? I have done these things and somehow this was different. We were at the whim of the elements and yet also able to influence our paths and make choices in the present, and only the present was important. There was this long term goal, and day by day we inched forward, though we were never sure moment to moment of exactly how much or when. There was a rhythm and physical energy that went with being on a bike for most of every day that was unique and powerful. Bikes seem to have an attraction and magic, somewhat like trains. They provide riders a special interaction with the places and people along the way.

 Alberta on a bike

 

 

 

One of the most powerful aspects of it all was getting to know Canada far better from coast to coast, gaining a much deeper understanding of how diverse it is. Canadians in different regions live in very different worlds in many ways. It is amazing that we can even talk to each other at times. In part because we were on bikes doing this crazy adventure, and in part because we kept to the small towns and small roads, many many people invited us into their lives and shared so much spontaneously. When I walk into a community grocery store as a traveler passing through, rarely have I attracted lengthy conversations. Walk into a grocery store with bike helmets and safety vests and it takes a long time to get out even if I never initiate a conversation. People are curious and they approached us and soon we are off learning about their worlds and vice versa. Many times we were stuck waiting for others of us in communities because they were stopped and engaged in lengthy chats while doing errands. It seemed rude to explicitly shorten these chats, but sometimes it was the only path to riding anywhere in a day.

Every time we were stuck and faced with confusion or adversity someone would come up and help us out. At first I thought we were just extraordinarily lucky, but over time I came to realize that this was one of the few common links between every place. Whatever happened, someone was there when we needed help and never did we need to explicitly ask. The final straw was at a Trois Riviere campground when there was a huge standoff over the campground rules and fees. I remember thinking… ok, we have finally met our match and no one will help us out of this mess… yet within a minute of the thought, a campground staff person was taking us home to his house for the night. From then on I knew that wherever or whenever, if we needed help, someone would be there. To me this is the one thing that all Canadian communities seem to share, be it BC ski resorts, dusty prairie towns, Northern Ontario mining centres, small Quebec farming communities or Acadian coastal villages. Frequently I seemed to have little in common with the people we encountered in terms of my lifestyle or values, yet there was a human connection that was powerful and it traced back to the experience of traveling as a group on a bike.

Finally, many folks said that we were unique, and I agree, to be doing this as adult family members. What added to the magic of the experience was that we were not only a family, but a team working with amazing collaboration (yes there were a few moments of conflict) toward one shared set of goals. Frequently members of a family do something together but rarely do so many do so much over such a long period of time with such a sense of equality and shared decision-making. The family and team experience has been unforgettable and we have a set of bonds, experiences and memories that we will share as a group for the rest of our lives. Thank you Leah, Evan, Shane and Ginny.”

Check out the blog if you choose. If you are interested in humour, the video of the “Hail storm makes for a good laugh at.

Raglan New Zealand

I have also started a blog of our New Zealand/Aotearoa experiences and I just posted the first entry at warponz.blogspot.com. We have already learned a lot, some of which will creep into future courses… such as  “Do you feel it is appropriate given the ecological circumstances to poison rats, stouts and opossums with cyanide pellets on a massive scale?” The first entry explains the circumstances very briefly.

Cheers

Alan