NATIVE SONGS AND DANCES

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 14

NATIVE SONGS AND DANCES

SUCCESSFUL MAORI EVENING

One of the most delightful amateur entertainments to be given in, Invercargill was the Maori evening, organized by the Arts and Crafts Circle of the Southland Women’s Club and held; on Thursday night. The club room was filled to capacity, and the performance was one which would have merited a much larger audience. Mrs A. F. Ritchie. Crawford introduced Mr J. H, Sorensen, who gave an; address on “Maori History and Culture.” He referred to the extreme antiquity of the Maori race and culture in New Zealand, and said there was a wealth of Maori material pertaining to Southland. It was, in fact, the marvellous collection of Mr King, of Orepuki, which first: inspired the speaker to follow the study of the Maori. He said the Maoris were the result of more than one migration, some of which were planned, others being accidental. Hie vast stretches of water apparently offered no difficulties to these fearless navigators. As far back as 1642, when Abel Tasman sailed into the port of Nelson, he found a dark-skinned people, who refused to be intimidated by the firing

ot cannon. A century later, when Captain Cook came, he observed the similarity of the Tahitian and New Zealand dialects. Although the-main fleet of canoes brought Polynesians to these shores in 1350, it was known that there were people in occupation 1000 years ago. ■ ■ - i ■ ■ ■■■

Of the culture of the Maori race, Mr Sorensen said, decorative art was one of the most interesting phases. Expression was found in painting, weaving, carving and plaiting, the lastnamed being brought from Polynesia. Tattooing, executed with charcoal, gave scope for scroll and double spiral designs as contrasting with the rectilineal patterns of their other forms of art. The South Island was more typically Polynesian than the North. Mrs Crawford thanked Mr Sorensen for his interesting talk and introduced Mr O’Brien, who showed coloured films of the celebration of the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Centennial Exhibition, and the centennial celebrations at Riverton in 1938. MAORI SONG AND DANCE In the second part of the programme, a short musical play was presented by members of the Arts and Crafts Circle, with the valuable assistance of Ngawara and Kiti Bradshaw, of Bluff. Ngawara Bradshaw belongs to the Arawa tribe and came from Rotorua only six months ago. She possesses all the fascination of the Maori race. Her charm and grace in singing, speaking and dancing created a perfect atmosphere for the entertainment. The theme of the play was the romantic legend of Tutanekai and Hinemoa, told by Mrs J. G. Gasparich as the grandmother, picturesque with pipe, who scored another success in character acting. An interesting feature of the play was that Hinemoa, whose love story was told so charmingly, actually ■ was the -ancestress of Ngawara. Mrs Alex. Derbie made an imposing figure as the Maori chief, while Mrs P. Frampton’s singing of several well-known Maori songs brought enthusiastic response from the audience. The poi dances were among the most popular numbers and there the native grace of Ngawara was seen to full advantage. When the party of English visitors in their turn entertained the Maori women with a stately English gavotte in flowered and laced crinolines, which revealed frilled pantalettes with the swing of the dance, the mirth and curiosity of the Maori maidens became' unrestrained.

The continuity of the play was written by Mrs H. Parker, and Mrs A. E. H. Bath as accompanist played no small part in making the eiitertainment' a ■Success. ’

Posies of flowers-were'presented to Mrs Parker, Ngawara and .Kiti Bradshaw and Mrs G. R. Milward, the producer, in appreciation of their efforts. Mrs Milward thanked Mr Sorensen, Mr O’Brien, and all who had lent exhibits and also H. and J. Smith, Ltd.