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First Lady’s Maori KissQuite NaturalBY PETER ED SON.IAbout tills picture of Mrs. Roosevelt rubbing noses with the Maori woman out in New Zealand, which Look magazine got hold of and copyrighted—This picture is beginning to cause a good bit of talk, particularly in the South, and the New Zealanders in Washington aren't any too happy about it, fearing that the picture will be misunderstood, which well it may. But the incident feally isn’t anything to get excited about because the Maori woman in the picture is none other than the fa-mous Rangi, a tremendously smart New Zealand native who has made a good thing out of being a guide and preserving the customs and folklore of her people at Rotorua. Rotorua ia the Yellowstone National Park of North Island, New Zealand, a '‘must” stop for every tourist and just a few hours’ drive from Auckland. All the U. S. troops stationed in New Zealand who have been given leaves to visit Rotorua know Rangi. Anyone who has ever been there to see the hot springs and the geysers knows Rangi. It’s impossible to miss her.Leader of Tours.When a party arrives at the resort, Rangi takes charge. She speaks excellent English, with a typical New Zealand accent. She organizes the half dozen women who sing the native Maori songs and do the traditional Maori dances. They all wear the gaudy old Maori dress—with western civilization shoes and stockings in cold weather—and Rangi explains all about the feather capes and thebead work. It's a good show, with no more than the usual amount oftourist corn.When it's time to get dinner, the native woman take their pot of beans out to some convenient fissure from which steam is seeping, and set the pot over the natural double boiler till the stew is done. The washing is done on the same principle — just by dunking the clothes in a hot spring till clean. For bathing, there are convenient pools of cold spring water right next to pools of steaming hot water, so you can soak m the latter and finish off in the former, and the native Maoris do. Rangi explains the works.Today, practically none of the Maori people go in for this beaded headdress with feathers stuck in it, such as Rangi was wearing for the nose-rubbing picture with Mrs. Roosevelt. The Maori people are among the smartest of the Polynesians, having an I. Q on a par with the beat of the Hawaiians. They’s far above the average of theother Pacific Islanders.Maoris Good Citizens.In New Zealand the Maoris arewell-educated, make good farmers, good citizens and good soldiers and take a place right alongside the white folks in New Zealand business, government and life. They have complete economic and social freedom, and there has been considerable intermarriage with the -whites. The Marois are tremendously proud. Maoris in the NewZealander divisions in the Middle East campaigns fought bravely, right along with the best of the Anzacs.Theer are about 90,000 Maoris on the islands today, and most of them consider it a bit quaint to get dolled up In the old native costumes. Rangi still does because it's a good racket for her. particularly in the tourist season. Being an authority on Maori customs, she has traveled far afield, giving lectures on the native folklore. In a way, she’s a kind of an Eleanor Roosevelt of her people, and when she rubbed noses with Mrs. Roosevelt—well, it was a good gag, but the two gals have a lot in common, even if Rangi's old aunt doeshave the most beautiful purple-tattooed chin you ever saw.Rangi has organized concert companies and taken them on tour, going once to Australia. She hasmade recordings of Maori songs. There used to be great tfvalry between Rangi and another of the women guides at FvOtorua, over who would conduct royalty about the place. Rangi apparently won Mrs. Roosevelt. And about this nose-rubbing business, it's nose pressing, not nose nibbing, and the Maoris consider it much more sanitary than kissing, and, come to think of It, maybe it is.What ft really is, is touching j foreheads/’ indicating the meeting of minds. The fact, that noses touch is supposed to be just incidental.
Newspaper Details
Troy Record
Troy, New York, US
Wed, Dec 22, 1943
Page 17
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 19 Mar 2019
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