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National Geographic : 1925 Aug
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128 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Photograph from The Brett Co., Auckland MAORI WOMEN'S CANOE RACE: NGARUAWAIIIA This former capital of the Maori Kingdom, at the junction of the Waikato and Waipa rivers, holds a picturesque Maori carnival once a year. On St. Patrick's Day thousands of natives and sight-seers gather to view races between war canoes, canoe hurdles, stirring war dances by the men (see page 129), and the graceful poi dance (see page 125) by the women. ing nicely hot, but suffering no extra scorching as a result of the delay. And as for the Monday clothes wash ing, why, it is simply a question of kneel ing beside one of the big hot pools and sousing the garments until they are as white and clean as new. True, both clothes and dinner may savor more or less strongly of sulphur; but who so fas tidious as not to be able to cultivate a taste for sulphur as easily as for any other spicy flavor? The Maori. I say, is of a thrifty race; yet that is the least of his attributes. No brown man possesses more personal and national pride, more true dignity, fearless bearing, honorable and faithful instincts, and cheeriness of temperament. There is no fawning, no bowing and scraping, in his attitude toward the colonizers of his country, and all his dealings are marked with straightforward manliness. Mentally he is keen, physically superb. I know of no more stirring sight than the haka war dance, in which the most pow- erful men of a village, stripped to the waist to give better play to their great muscular arms and bodies, form in even ranks, and, taunted with cowardice in pantomime by their women, commence muttering in deep voices, wave their arms and twist their bodies in fierce unison, as though writhing under the bitter insults. The taunting continues, the muttering, growing louder and more ominous, be comes a roar; slowly they work them selves up to a tremendous pitch of excite ment, bellowing more and more threaten ingly, swaying and twisting with greater and greater fierceness, till the onlooker becomes positively terrified in spite of himself. Then, suddenly, with a last grand shout, they break their ranks and dash headlong to meet the imaginary foe. THE WOMEN ARE LITHE AND GRACEFUL The women are no less dignified and proud of bearing than the men and ex hibit a grace of movement and litheness
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