Ethnic People

New Zealand's original inhabitants were Māori. Their population once reached 20,000 people. Te reo Maori, the official language of the Māori, is spoken everywhere the Māori people live.

Once a warring tribe of Polynesian decent, the Māori have since assimilated into modern society. Many of the Māori villages have been recreated, in order to teach accurately about their traditions and culture. These villages are mainly tourist atttractions but give glimpse into the past for the curious.

Rotorua is a village on the north Island. The picture above is of the entrance to the Maori village. Totems top the entrance and seen throughout the village, now valued as aboriginal art of New Zealand. Each tribe had their own special way of making totems.

Today only about 10 percent of the population are Māori. Other people groups are Polynesian and Asian.