NorthStar Video Transcript

Level 2, Unit 8, Endangered Cultures

MAORI CULTURE

Background

The following information gives you some background about the topic of this video segment. You may want to share
this information with your students.

The Maori people live in New Zealand. This video segment shows the present-day Maori way of life, language, art,
and dance.

The 1993 film The Piano, written and directed by Jane Campion, a New Zealander, showed the Maori in the mid-
1800s under British colonial rule. It was the first major film to show the Maori and this period in New Zealand
history. The film received many awards. In 2003, the movie Whale Rider, set in modern-day New Zealand, received
much acclaim for its retelling of a Maori legend and its depiction of ancestral traditions.

Vocabulary for Comprehension

Preview the vocabulary with your students.

ancestors myths
appreciated rituals
canoe survive
explorer warrior
legends

Video Script

Viewing Time: 2:02 minutes

Narrator: The Maori people live in New Zealand, a country in the South Pacific. Originally, they were from
Polynesia.

The Maori people came to New Zealand in the year 900. They traveled to New Zealand in large canoes—each
carrying 80 Maori warriors.

In the late 1700s the first British explorer arrived in New Zealand. His name was Captain James Cook. At that time,
more than 100,000 Maoris lived on the land. They were strong warriors and fought hard to protect their land and
people.

Today, the Maori still have their culture and rituals. A lot of Maori culture comes from myths and legends. They
believe in many gods that protect their oceans, forests, and crops. These are the things the Maoris needed to survive.

And they still live in this beautiful land of mountains, forest, and water. They are trying to keep their language, art,
and culture alive.

For the Maori, dancing is an important way to connect to the past. They feel close to their culture and their ancestors
in the variety of dances they perform.

The stories and legends of Maori history are told through art. These wood carvings, murals, and tuka-tuka panels
detail a particular god or have special significance to Maori culture.
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NorthStar 4e Level 2 Unit 8
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
NorthStar Video Transcript

The Maori way of life, language, art, and dance have become understood and appreciated throughout the South
Pacific.

2
NorthStar 4e Level 2 Unit 8
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.