The Maori Macarena

[Tronhard]

First, for culturally sensitive, I do realize that this is a traditional stance that has been stylized for the statue, which lies at the entrance to Karekare Beach in the Waitakeres, just west of Auckland. It is a Pou and symbolized the manawhenua, or spiritual guardianship of the beach area to be enjoyed and respected by all. It IS a gorgeous piece of carving, and very typical of the sophisticated artwork of NZ's first nations.

That said I could not refrain from a whimsical thought that is was engaged in the famous (or infamous) dance of Spanish origin. Doubtless anthropologists will see this and immediately anticipate a doctoral thesis on how the cultural exchange occurred...

[pnodrog]

I can see DNA investigations starting immediately. It may also explain the shared fondness of playing guitars.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[dje]

Yes Trev there is a resemblance. However I doubt there is any cultural connection - my information is that the song/dance "The Macarena" is about a girl named Macarena who cheats on her boyfriend. Now the Kiwis would never do anything like that

Dave

[FootLoose]

I would have assumed the figure was doing a harka - in which case the Spanish would have to explain their appropriation of the Maori culture practice and their "feminisation" of the war dance.

[Tronhard]

Yes Trev there is a resemblance. However I doubt there is any cultural connection - my information is that the song/dance "The Macarena" is about a girl named Macarena who cheats on her boyfriend. Now the Kiwis would never do anything like that

Dave

Well don't be so sure. They say that an apt description of a Kiwi is one that eats roots and leaves....

[IzzieK]

One thing I love with the Kiwis are their accent...Sorry Greg...it is hard enough hearing my accent but they have the most beautiful way of speaking English. Next time I go over there, I will wear a hearing aid... just in case that was the reason why I can hardly understand them...Kiwis are very artsy, as shown in your image here. Nice photo by the way -- I even like the shadow and that symbol between the legs is funny.

[bnnrcn]

A great carving work and a nice photo , thanks for sharing Trev

[barrydoig]

One thing I love with the Kiwis are their accent...Sorry Greg...it is hard enough hearing my accent but they have the most beautiful way of speaking English. Next time I go over there, I will wear a hearing aid... just in case that was the reason why I can hardly understand them...Kiwis are very artsy, as shown in your image here. Nice photo by the way -- I even like the shadow and that symbol between the legs is funny.

[Tronhard]

Hi Barry:

I got the quote from IzzieK, but it seems you were left speechless???

[barrydoig]

Do us Kiwis have an accent? Cut it out. I was once in a Seminar in Pasadena. There were guys from almost every State, each with their own accent. I introduced myself and said I was glad to be the only one without an accent. I wondered why they hooted with laughter. Barry from Down Under

[Tronhard]

Do us Kiwis have an accent? Cut it out. I was once in a Seminar in Pasadena. There were guys from almost every State, each with their own accent. I introduced myself and said I was glad to be the only one without an accent. I wondered why they hooted with laughter. Barry from Down Under

Aw, yeah Gidday Barry! I was makkin' sum tee and was lukking fer the mulk so I mussed yer excent thung!?? No worries mate, she'll be roight... Yussee we AWL have dilekts, but we think everyone else has an excent... d'yasee?

Hurray maate...

[IzzieK]

I wonder how a Kiwi and a Texan will go at understanding one another? They are their own planet up there as compared to downunder... It would be so funny just listening to them get frustrated with one another...

[mastamak]

The Kiwi "eccent" is pretty simple. All the vowels are moved to the right. Thus for a,e,i,o,u - "a: is pronounced "e", "e" becomes "i" and so on all the way down to the infamous "fush and chups" Often the vowels are omitted altogether, so "pin" and "bin" become "pn" and 'bn" resulting in the portable refrigerator morphing into "chully bn". My father while on holiday in NZ visited a woodworking factory and was intrigued as to how an intricate saw cut was made so he asked the Kiwi workman what sort of saw he used. "Just a tumber saw" was the reply. Poor Dad! he spent the next 2 weeks of his holiday thinking that our Kiwi cousins had some particularly useful sort of saw not readily available in Australia.
Anyway, we Aussies can't be too snooty about accents, we have some shockers over here.
Grant