New Zealand’s Maori Crown a New Queen, 27-Year-Old Nga Wai Hono i te Po
In a ceremony steeped in tradition and steeped in meaning, Nga Wai Hono i te Po, the 27-year-old daughter of the late King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, has ascended to the Maori throne, Sky News reports.
Thousands gathered at the ancestral meeting place of Turangawaewae marae to witness the anointment of the new queen, a poignant event following her father’s passing on August 30th at the age of 69.
As Nga Wai was escorted onto the marae, where her father’s casket lay draped in feathered cloaks, cheers erupted from the crowd, a testament to the deep respect and love held for the royal family. The funeral procession, which snaked along the banks of the Waikato River, was attended by leaders from all political parties, past prime ministers, Pacific Island nations, diplomats, and representatives of the British crown.
The new queen, who is not crowned but instead has a bible placed upon her head, was bestowed with prestige, sacredness, power, and spiritual essence by Archbishop Don Tamihere through the use of sacred oils.
Following her ascension, Queen Nga Wai accompanied her father’s remains in a flotilla of traditional canoes as they were guided by Maori warriors to their final resting place on Taupiri Maunga, a mountain of great spiritual significance to her iwi (tribe).
The Kingitanga, or Maori royalty movement, holds a ceremonial mandate rather than a legal one. It was established after the British colonization of New Zealand to unite Maori tribes in resistance to forced land sales and the erosion of their language and culture.
The late king, a former truck driver, took the unusual step in January of calling a national meeting of tribes after a center-right government came to power last November and began implementing policies that diminished recognition of the Maori language, people, and customs. This meeting, attended by 10,000 people, highlighted the growing anxieties and concerns within the Maori community.
“The best protest we can make right now is being Maori. Be who we are. Live our values. Speak our reo,” the late king told the gathering, using the Maori word for language. “Just be Maori. Be Maori all day, every day. We are here. We are strong.”
