Maori dance communicates its emotions through such a stylised technique that the technique becomes a living frame of high tradition. Performances of true Maori dance and ancient chants are living history. Even when spectators have no previous background knowledge, the rhythms and mental intent of Maori lore have tremendous impact. But, how much greater the thrill when one realises, after even a little study, how deep in the past this expression of a people is rooted. How much greater still must be the feelings aroused if one's own ancestry is Maori. Here is a culture that is as valuable as any cherished museum piece but it can and does still have a vital place in the present. How cataclysmic the effect of a haka can be in today's world and how potent its quality can be in reaching out to the future, was proven during World War II. The pakeha soldiers have attested to the hair-raising effect of a haka heard in the heat of battle, but surely to the Maori, the call becomes himself and all his forebears finding relief from pent-up emotions in the release of physical and mental energy of volcanic proportions through sound and movement. This is “basic dance” in its true sense and it is supremely Maori. High pride of achievement through courage against terrific odds, appears as one of the strongest bases of Maori culture. May this spirit which the elders and great leaders of the Maori people have continually nurtured—and since time immemorial it has been an outstanding quality of Polynesian pioneering—may it keep alive the arts of the past. This is not easy in the face of the many distractions of European modes of life. There is a subtle undermining process that must be met with real will power and all the self discipline of the historic Maori heroes, because it is easier to dissipate time listening to cheap radio sessions and seeing third rate movie fare, for example, than to memorize an ancient chant with its tricky rhythms. Today's leaders are working to instill a desire in the new generations to continue going forward in artistic achievement that is truly Maori. There is high value in creating a song, a dance, a poem. The crying out for expression of that which is within one's own deepest thoughts, needs a suitable mould that will reveal it at its best. The struggle to reach deep within one's own culture and bring forth a work of art is worth the effort not only for the result itself, but also for the great personal joy of succeeding in putting an ideal, an abstract thought, into a mould at all. To copy another's way—however much fun jazz, etc. may be—is always just a copy and can never have the value of an original contribution. To see the glories of the old chants on the marae is to feel the pulse of the Maori spirit and to know its power. Contact with the very real force of this kind of an experience can engender enthusiasm that will create new works of Maori art to triumph over both city environment and human lethargy. The various Maori clubs throughout New Zealand are working hard to consciously preserve in these days, the arts which in the beginning arose spontaneously from life surounding the marae of those other days. This work is of immeasureable value. One can fervently hope that memberships will continue to grow so that the work will bear much fruit. The author is personally extremely grateful that there is a club—the Ngati Poneke at Wellington, because it was there, some years ago, that she first saw Maori dance. In summary, it is apparent that each of the three races, whether aboriginal, New Guinea or Maori enjoys a “basic” dance expression and that the dancing itself is so individual in style as to be a kind of trade mark for the characteristics of its people. Dance can be a kind of skeleton key that unlocks many doors toward an understanding of a people. Careful study in ethnic dance can uncover clues, otherwise partly hidden, to the underlying psychology of a given group. In their natural environment, the aborigines are full of gentle qualities which are given firmness and character through ancient laws of self discipline. The people are imbued with a deep, religious kind of fervour in regard to their land and their culture heroes. Their dance is contemplative or exciting, in turn, as it depicts the vast wanderings of the creative ancestral beings of aboriginal belief. Certain of the dances in New Guinea have the thrusting vitality of awesome imagination reflecting the closeness of the people to a deep-seated psychic fear. This fear and the hatreds arising out of it arises out of not only a long past but also a very present contemporary history of killing, warfare and vendettas. This aspect of New Guinea dance is in direct contrast to those dances which reflect the opulent beauty of mountain vistas and curving coastlines. New Guinea dance is like its environment, rich in outward beauty with the sudden hidden terrors of the jungle ever present. Maori dance is full of the strength that comes from pride in not only the courage but also the beauty of ancestral achievement both artistically and in mundane things as well. The action songs may be graphic stories of the heroism of the great canoes, or they may be all poetry and romance—peerless as love songs. The Maoris, though noted for their prowess in war yet developed a harmonious pattern of life. In it, war and cultural refinements were the equal pillars in a “Temple of Life” which had harmony of purpose in overall mental attitudes as its base. Chivalry, warm hospitality, romantic ideals and a trace of the magic of Karakia, as well as indomitable courage are all mirrored in Maori dance.