Recreation and Amusement
Some of the games enjoyed by Maori
youth and adults are similar to those seen in other societies. Skipping over a rope
swung by companions was a favorite pastime, as were spinning tops and the Maori
version of cat's cradle, which they called whai. In
Young Maori boys and girls learned to
swim at an early age (sometimes with the assistance of "floats" made
out of gourds), and so any games having to do with the water, including body
surfing with or without the use of boards, were very popular with the youth.
Young boys would throw reed "spears" at one another as part of a game
as well as essential training for future battle. For sport many Maori flew
kites called manu tukutuku.
(These are not to be confused with manu whara, special kites flown by priests for purposes of
divination.) Titi torea is a
game where players (usually performing as a team) throw short sticks in
complicated patterns.
Ball games were also common. Flax
balls were used in passing and catching games. Poi toa, "warrior poi," is a game where men swing
balls attached to cords; this type of poi
reserved for men is likely the predecessor of the women’s art for discussed
earlier. Many of the skills learned playing poi
toa were transferable to fighting techniques, and
it is practiced by men. Ki-o-Rahi,
a contact sport played on a circular field, is another ball game that would
become the forerunner to rugby.
Oration was an important art for the
Maori, which meant that storytelling was a significant pass time for them as
well. Maori often told stories involving the ancestors, the gods, wizards, folk
heroes, anthropomorphic animals, and mystical beings like monsters, spirits,
and the taniwha.
