In memeory of Dame Te Atairangikaahu

Today was an important day in New Zealand. It was the burial of Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the Maori Queen, and the announcement of her son as successor.

It's been interesting to watch all the coverage of the Tangi (a kind of extended funeral) since Dame Te Atairangikaahu died last week. I have to admit being completely ignorant about the Maori Queen before we came to NZ, but it is clear that she was well respected across all cultures in NZ and this has been a good chance to learn more about the Maori culture.

For example, Maori believe that the body of a deceased person should not be left on its own at any stage after death and so people will gather over several days to pay their respects and stay with the body. The Tangi is held at the marae - the traditional meeting place of Maori people -and, whilst the Tangi takes precedence over all other events at the marae, it is not unknown for weddings to take place whilst the body is at the marae. The Maori believe that the spirit of the dead person does not leave the vicinity of the body until burial, which means that they can be there to share in the marriage.

I imagine, elsewhere in the world, Dame Te Atairangikaahu's death has had little coverage, but here in NZ it is a pretty big deal and it would be kinda weird to be here and be blogging and not mention it.