Story time at the Marae

This evening was the start of the "Once upon an Island Festival of Story" (the story lady on the island is extremely active). The opening occurred at the Piritahi Marae about a three minute drive away. A Marae is a Maori religious and meeting place which generally has a meeting hall and some other buildings. One cannot simply wander into a marae: there is a special welcome ceremony called a powhiri to go through. The visitors (manuhiri) all sit in an area while a group from the marae challenge their entry. Responses are given by representatives of the manuhiri, songs are sung, and then we are welcomed through hongi (touching of foreheads and noses) with the marae group. It was very touching and a real sign of community. It was not perfunctory (it lasted more than 20 minutes and was described as a short powhiri) and obviously not designed for tourists but was a real reflection of how the Maori feel about their marae.

Alexander was great during the ceremony, and enjoyed the hongi. The only person hesitant about him was the elder (a man certainly in his 70s or more) who visibly flinched around Alexander. I would guess he has been headbutted by too many European kids to feel perfectly comfortable around them. But Alexander was gentle with him.

The storytime was excellent. We only stayed for the first two stories (an extended song about Chicken Little and a story from "Roots" of an African boy and a crocodile) but we were all captivated.