Poia Mai Taku Poi - A History of Poi

Māori performing arts is a dynamic part of the Māori culture which has effectively ensured the inter-generational transmission of Māori knowledge for thousands of years. Performing arts was crucial amongst a group of people with no written form of their language. Traditionally, Māori performing arts was not a performance but a ritual. It was an integral part of everyday life and was used in all aspects of traditional Māori society. Upon European arrival to New Zealand Māori social life and customs were observed and documented in a written form. Māori social life and material culture changed remarkably and these early written sources provide a glimpse of how traditional Māori society operated. The aim of this research is to investigate early sources on Māori performing arts in order to construct a written history of poi - one of the least researched but most widely practiced areas of Māori performing arts. It is hoped that this study on poi will encourage others to engage in historical research and unearth other secrets of Māori performing arts that have been hidden amongst the pages of early writings.

• | Author: Karyn Paringatai
• | Publisher: VDM Verlag
• | Publication Date: Jul 03, 2009
• | Number of Pages: 160 pages
• | Binding: Paperback or Softback
• | ISBN-10: 363917092X
• | ISBN-13: 9783639170924