Submitted by Isabella DeFrancesco on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Communication…
I apologize for the delayed response, as our group has just returned from a three day canoe trip on the Whanganui River. Tucked away from civilization, without cellphone service and WiFi, our group was able to learn about the Maori culture in a way that words will not do justice. Our leader for the experience was a man named Ashley, but he liked to be called Ash. Ash’s family, or Whanau in Maori, took the time to personally get to know each and every member on our program. Over the course of the three days, we were challenged both physically and intellectually. From paddling down a river, over rapids and against the wind, sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor of a one room Marae, and using all of our energy to recite the moves and words of a Haka- a Maori War Dance used as a greeting between different tribes- our group had never been so energized and felt more alive.
Ash and his Whanau also pushed our beliefs about the natural world. They taught us about the purpose of Wai, the Maori word for water, and explained that when we are more in touch with the Wai both around us and inside us, we are more likely to feel connected to others and our purpose in this world. They also told us that the river, along with other forces of nature, speak to us. As a girl who has grown up 40 minutes outside of New York City, a place dominated by skyscrapers and man-made wonders, I have witnessed how much of the Western world falls deaf to the words of nature. Though the landscape of the U.S. is beautiful and naturally diverse, many of us are tucked away in cities and suburban neighborhoods and are not given the chance to fully connect with nature. Many times, we are taught about the benefits that nature can provide to us and how we can meet our needs through it. However, in New Zealand, the Maori forge deep relationships with the natural world. One of their principles revolves around the concept of reciprocity; what the world gives to them, they find a way to give back. Before embarking on our river tour, we asked the river permission to enter, we blessed ourselves with water from the river, and were sure to remember how grateful we were to be in the presence of something larger than ourselves.
On the last day of our trip, I sat in a canoe with three of my fellow classmates, and our river guide named Ihi. While we paddled, we spoke both to each other and to the river and were able to connect deeper with one another by channeling the Wai inside of us all. As I climbed out of the canoe with tears in my eyes, ready to say good-bye to both the river and its family, my lucky lightning bolt necklace that I’ve worn everyday for the past seven years snapped off and fell into the canoe. In this moment, I knew that the river had spoken to me. Instead of getting upset that the river had broken my necklace, I decided to listen to what this moment meant. I said my good-byes and thanked the river for letting me know that all good things must come to an end.
