Module 4 Cultures and Technology

Cultures and Technology

Source : http://www.travel-destination-pictures.com/images/500/maori-people_1149.jpg

The Maori

            The Maori people is the local people or the people that is originated from New Zealand and they live throughout New Zealand. Back the days Maori was a word that is used to identify the locals when the arrival of European immigrant in 1815. The ancestors of the Maori were actually Polynesian from south-east Asia. On the other hand there are discoveries shows that early Polynesian of New Zealand migrate from China. It was a long journey passing thru Taiwan then the South Pacific and finally arrived at Aotearoa (New Zealand in Maori language). Since settling down in New Zealand they soon develop their own culture and belief that is different from the actual Polynesian culture. (Whitmore, The Maori - Brief pre-hisotry, 2008)

Religion

            The traditional Maori belief originates from the Polynesian culture and concepts. They have lots of mythology belief and stories from and across the Pacific Ocean. On their daily life they have such belief like tapu (sacred), noa (non-scared), mana (authority) and wairua (soul). Since the beginning of time the Maori people belief that every living things that exist on earth are from God in the form of mountain, river, and lakes. As an example the Wanganui River is a cultural and spiritual significance for the Maori people and they are very particular about it. While the mountains in North Island such as Mount Ngaruahoe and Mount Ruapehu are considered sacred for the Maori. These belief changes when the Europeans arrive in New Zealand and substitute the Maori religion and mythology with Christianity.  Most of the Maori today are Christian but there is still a small part of them are Muslim Maori. (Whitmore, Religion and Spirituality, 2008)

Maori Technology

            The Maori also have their own technology to allow to survive during their time. On this section I’m going to write about the farming, fishing, food storage, stone tools carving and tattooing.

Farming

            When the Maori travel to New Zealand the plants that manage to survive when they arrive are sweet potato, gourd, taro, cabbage tree and yam. Sweet potato was the main crop as it can be grown throughout the North Island and northern part of South Island. Another main farming crop was Paper mulberry which it produces fibres that can be used to make tapa cloth. This was mainly grown only in the North Island as it is warmer. (Adds, Introducing Kumara to New Zealand, 2012)

Farming Tools

In farming the Maori had developed different type of tools. All these are used for planting and harvesting.

·        Hengahenga – a type of hoe

·        Hoto – a spade made of maire wood

·        Kō – a digging stick about 2 metres long, used with or without a foot-tread to roughly break up the ground

·        Kāheru – a spade used for lighter work like creating mounds and cultivating Kūmara. There were three types: one but with a short, square blade, one with a triangular blade, and one which resembled the kō

·        Puka – a long-bladed spade

·        Tipi or Pere – a very small blade attached to a handle and used to clear weeds

·        Ketu – a small paddle-like tool, used to loosen the soil around plants or before taking tubers out

·        Patupatu – used to break clods

·        Kōkō – used as a shovel

·        Timo – a type of grubber.

(Adds, Kūmara - Tools and storage pits, 2012)

Source : http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/etexts/BesAgri/BesAgri076a.jpg

Source : http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/docs/Volume040/images/JPS_040_008insert5_a.jpg

Storage Pits

            After harvesting the corps it is a must for them to store the corps as during the winter the weather is too cold for them to grow so it had to be stored and preserved. They use the technic which the Polynesians uses by storing it in subterranean pits which work really well in New Zealand for sweet potato. It is an underground storage which provide high humidity that is needed to preserve so that it can be eaten during the winter while some to be planted after the winter. (Adds, Kūmara - Tools and storage pits, 2012)

Source : http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/etexts/BesAgri/BesAgri226a.jpg

Fishing

            Before the Maori arrive in New Zealand their fishing techniques was already well developed as they have mastered well over the Polynesia era. When the Maori arrive here they also bring in fishing tools such as traps, spears, lures, dredges, net and hooks with them. The most important item for fishing is the net. Flax is a type of plant which they use to make fishing net and lines. They don’t use the conventional material such as coconut fibres or other plant materials. For lures they use Paua shell to attract the fishes. (Auckland Museum, 2001)

Two New Zealand Maori Trolling Lure Fish Hooks 'Pa Kahawai'

Source : http://www.finch-and-co.co.uk/antiquities/d/two-new-zealand-maori-trolling-lure-fish-hooks-pa-kahawai/21736

Maori Language

            The Maori language is known as Te Reo Maori which also the official language in New Zealand. Although it is the official language of New Zealand it is not widely used by the community and most are using English to communicate with each other. The language is under threatened based on the 2006 census result that only 1 out of 4 Maori can speak Maori language and approximately 25,000 non-Maori are able to speak the language. Since 1970s they are aware of the issue hence they start teaching Maori language in schools. (Keane, 2014)

Source : http://www.cameronhighlandsinfo.com/attraction/Orang_Asli_Aborigine_Village/images/main_01.jpg

Orang Asli

            The Orang Asli in Malaysia are considered the native people in the country. The translation of the name Orang Asli from malay to English means “original people”. Orang asli is similar within each other as most of them have its own language and culture. They consider themselves to be different from others. There are sub 18 sub-sthnic group but it is officially classified in to 3 main group which is Negrito, Senoi and Proto-Malay. Some Northern orang asli group such as the Senoi and Negrito groups speak aslian language which is a mix of Burma, Thailand and Indo-China. The Proto-Malay tribes were believed to have migrated from the Indonesian island to the south of the peninsula of Malaysia.

            Although there are different group of Orang Asli they all still have the smiliar type of jobs and life. The Orang Laut, Orang Seletar and Mah Meri, live close to the coast and are mainly fishermen while the Temuan, Jakun and Semai people focus more on agriculture and manage their own rubber, oil palm or cocoa farms. The Orang Asli population include of Semai, Temiar, Che Wong, Jah Hut, Semelai and Semoq Beri which is about 40% of the total population of Orang Asli. They live within the forest and live by farming hill rice, hunting and gathering things for trading. Things they gathered for trading is petai, durian, rattan and resins which they later sell to earn a living. Only a small number of Orang Asli lived in the city for waged and salaried job. (Nicholas, 1997)

Orang Asli Language

            The Orang Asli speak aslian language which is split into 2 groups, one which is Austro-Asiatic and the other group is Austronesian. There is about 50,000 people that only know how to speak this language and is at the dawn of extinction. The Austro-Asiatic is divide into few different language such as Jahaic Language (North Aslian), Senoic language, Semelaic language (South Aslian), and Jah Hut. For the Jahaic language it is being categorise into a few sub-groups as which are the Che Wong, Jahai, Bateq, Kensiu, Kintak and Menriq language. While the Senoic language is  include Lanoh language, Temiar language and Semai language. The Austronesian language family  include the Jakun and Temuan. Beside speaking these languages, the orang aslis  are also fluent in speaking Bahasa Malaysia which is the official language of the country. (Benjamin, 1976)

Hunting Tools

            The Orang Asli uses many type of hunting weapons but one of the main one is blow-pipe. They are made of bamboo and wood. The bamboo is uses is the ‘sewor’ due to its thin body and it is easily found around them. The blow pipe is usually made up with 2 layers of bamboo. The inner layer had a diameter between 1 to 2 cm. The blowing point can be made either by wood or hornbill and it is usually decorated with attractive designs. The bullets they used for the blow-pipes are soaked in poison from the ‘Ipoh Tree’ or a type of plant called ‘Streyehros Ganus’. The other hunting weapon they use is spears and traps.

Orang Asli using Blow pIpe
Source : http://previews.agefotostock.com/previewimage/bajaage/c8c1224634a4c9bfe4ee5d2ebfa76fbc/pil-m01500160.jpg

Fishing Tools

            In fishing activities they have equipment such as bubu, lukah, tuai and many more. Even in these modern days they are still using such equipment as there are still living in remote area. They also take their catching for trading to earn a living.

Lukah
Source : https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLV9UxPX-DNnKdVAScX-BPQ8LCJmQ5cNFzWFkijpUQqbI1qUE1pcT1iMOEr2z2kDFOxAubU45ODnBl12lZVHhPB9DHy1gcNnp6Mi8lQiKYQVJYZe39jwBlAPAX2oIO5j0syeMjBon1lo8Z/s1600/lukah1.jpg

Bubu
Source : http://www.handicraft.my/photo/aIMG_1823.jpg

Water transportation

            Normally the place the Orang asli lives are near river and lakes. So water transportation is considered as one of the most important transportation method. The main usage for water transportation is for travelling, fishing, hunting and also shipping goods for trading purpose. In order to travel they use boat or bamboo raft (MMU Cyberjaya, 2000)

Bamboo raft
Source : http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000umnLQ2sRLk8/fit=1000x750/Smiling-Orang-Asli-Kids.jpg

References

Adds, P. (2012, September 22). Introducing Kumara to New Zealand. Retrieved from Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kumara/page-1

Adds, P. (2012, September 22). Kūmara - Tools and storage pits. Retrieved from Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kumara/page-3

Auckland Museum. (2001). Maori Technology. Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=/aucklandmuseum/media/main/education/teachers_guide/teacher_resources_library/maori_education_kits/maori_09maoritechnology_1_.pdf

Benjamin, G. (1976). Austroasiatic Studies Part 1. In Austroasiatic Subgroupings and Prehistory in the Malay Peninsula (pp. 37-128). University of Hawai'i Press.

Keane, R. H. (2014, Jun 14). Te reo Māori – the Māori language. Retrieved from Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-reo-maori-the-maori-language

MMU Cyberjaya. (2000). Orang Asli Museum. Cyberjaya, malaysia.

Nicholas, C. (1997). The Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia. Retrieved from magickriver: http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm