The Maori people are the original or the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is believed that the Maori migrated from Polynesia in canoes about the 9th century to 13th century AD. Though the Maori have adapted well to living in 21st century New Zealand being influenced by the white European settlers – called by them as the “pakeha”, they have retained their unique culture, a culture that had contributed significantly to the nationality of New Zealand. [Author Unknown, 2004] The paper attempts to study the culture and ways of life of the Maori, by comparing the two films Barry Barclay's Ngati released in 1987 and Lee Tamahori's 1994 movie Once Were Warriors.

Before analyzing the cinematic representation of Maori’s in the two movies, it would be worthwhile to understand the background and the evolution of local cinema in New Zealand and the representation of Maori- the indigenous people and their culture – in creating and forging a national identity through the medium of cinema.

National Identity and Culture in New Zealand Cinema

Cinema, although implausibly considered as ‘entertainment,’ is a powerful medium, capable of credibly representing and creating illusions of nature and reality. Cinema or motion pictures are intimately bound up with, literally indispensable in leading citizens toward the self-knowledge that is national identity. [Waller, 1996] According to Joshua Smith, “the national cinema of any country is largely responsible for the self-definition of the nation's identity and culture.” [Smith, 1997] This, he says is particularly so in nations such as New Zealand and Australia, which are comparatively young in terms of cultural and technological development and that the establishment of a proper national myth lies mostly in the hands of the cinema.
With this understanding, as one approach the national cinema of New Zealand, it is surprising to note the persistent influence of Hollywood genres on the feature films that were made in New Zealand from the 1940s until the 1970s. Researchers suggest that though New Zealanders were amongst the most frequent moviegoers in the western world, only a few of the films made during this time they went to see were made at home. The pre-talkie movies of New Zealand relied heavily on Maori as actors and depicted the exotic color typical of the Maori culture. Edwards notes that Maori ‘provided characters and sets which lent those early movies not only a unique and exotic appeal, but some superb actors as well’ [Martin & Edwards, 1997; p.28]. However as the modern cinema evolved, the foreign influence became so pervasive that Maori life and culture virtually disappeared from the mainstream

It was with the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission that New Zealand filmmakers attempted to re-look and redefine their cinema as a medium of national integration by defining and depicting the nation’s culture and identity. The Interim Film Commission stressed the need for filmmakers to 'capture visual images of the way we are and the way we feel and think ... to expand our knowledge of ourselves'. 'How else', the report asked, ‘can we come to cherish a picture of our nation’s past and a vision of its future?' [Cited Waller, 1996] This refocusing, of vision and purpose of cinema, led to the emergence of many movies prominent movies on Maori culture and essentially “New Zealandish,” such as The Vigil (1984) and The Lost Tribe (1985), the ones being discussed here, viz. Ngati and Once Were Warriors and a host of others. While some of these movies presented the waning off of the Maori culture as a result of the acculturation with western colonialists, certain others highlights the depth and vibrancy of the aboriginal culture that continue to influence and integrate the Maori as a national race of New Zealand. Herein lies the philosophical framework and foundation for comparing the culture and life of the original New Zealanders – the Maoris—in Ngati and Once Were Warriors.

Representation of Maori in Ngati and Once Were Warriors
David Fickling in his article ‘Return of the Native’ remarks that while ‘Maori represent one of the most vigorous and assertive indigenous cultures in the English-speaking world, their impact on film has been relatively small.’[Fickling, 2003] Of the few movies, Ngati and Once Were Warriors, though incongruously distinct in their perspectives, depict the Maori culture in a gripping manner. Before comparing the characters and representations of Maori life and culture in the two movies, it would be essential to understand the theme and story of the two movies separately.

Barry Barclay's Ngati

Ngati is set in a small and closely-knit Maori community of Kapua, on the New Zealand coastal town East Cape, sometime in 1948. Ngati, meaning the ‘tribe’ in Maori, centers on the homecoming of a young, recently graduated Australian doctor, Greg Shaw (Ross Girven), son of the earlier town doctor living in Australia, to the Ngati community at the request of his father. Greg is host to the longtime Pakeha (Maori expression for European) residents in the community – the family of Doctor Paul Bennett (Norman Fletcher), who had formerly practiced with Greg’s father, his wife Sam (Alice Fraser) and their daughter, Jenny (Judy McIntosh), a local schoolteacher. Barclay’s political statement, to the Pakehas “this is the Maori world, take it or leave it...” [Barclay, 1987a] is apparent from his depiction of the Doctor’s family – a ‘minority’ in the Maori community, who have willingly adapted themselves to the Maori way of life, crossing cultural boundaries quite easily.
Greg’s visit to the community is during a difficult phase – the town’s main employer, the old freezing works, is about to be closed down, and the influx of industrialization and mechanization has begun to affect the rural life. Jenny introduces Greg to the community, and he slowly loses his arrogance and racist way of thinking. Ignorant of his Maori lineage, he engrosses himself in the predominantly Maori community, as the community also accepts him with ease. Even as the community is troubled by the economic forces at work, Barclay focuses the town’s attention on Ropata (Oliver Jones), the leukemia inflicted twelve-year-old-son of Iwi (Wi Kuki Kaa) and Hine. Though Tione (Michael Tibble), the intimate friend of Ropata, keeps a loyal guard and both Maori and European medicines are administered in an attempt to save the life of Ropata, he succumbs to death. Ropata episode not only underscores the depth of community and family relationships within the Maori community, but Ropata’s funeral conducted by the Tohunga also brings the whole society together presenting an imperative sense of communal interconnection, an incredible spirit of community. [Barclay, 1987]

On the political side, Barclay hints at Maori New Zealanders gaining strength in the industry. Sally (Connie Pewhairangi), the manager from the city, urges the local men to run the local meat works themselves when the owners threaten to close down. Iwi is given the chance to suspend the closure when he takes up management of a big sheep and cattle station. The characters, Sally and Iwi together find the fervor, courage, and power to deliver the film’s powerful agenda for Maori self-determination. [Barclay, 1987]

Once Were Warriors
As compared to Barclay’s low-key yet powerful approach to political and family issues in Ngati, Lee Tamahori’s debut Once Were Warriors, released in 1994, is a social melodrama of the nasty and dysfunctional aspects of urban Maori family life, trying to adapt to the modern culture of the pakehas. Once Were Warriors is based on the first novel written by Alan Duff, a New Zealand author, by the same title, which tells the story of the urban Maori Heke family. [Tamahori, 1995]
Once Were Warriors is set in the shabby urban slums of south Auckland, New Zealand. Beth Heke (Rena Owen) is the abused Maori wife of Jake (Temuera Morrison), who had lost his job and hangs out at the bar all day long. The family consists of four children and the film centers around Beth’s struggle to raise and hold her family together. While Jake is thoroughly abusive and takes to drinking and wife beating, the husband and wife truly love each other, Beth single-handedly and determinedly assuming the burden and responsibility of taking care of the family. [Tamahori, 1995]

Though the Heke’s are essentially Maoris – Beth is the daughter of a noble line of Maori chiefs -- her family has rejected Jake for his status as the descendant of slaves, and he discards the Maori tradition and culture, considering it too good for him. While this is yet another reason for conflict, Beth who is determined to be a faithful and submissive wife to the man she loves, also neglects the traditional ways until she’s forced to choose between the man she loved and her children who are attracted to the Maori way of life and beliefs. Nig (Julian Arahanga), the eldest son, dismayed by lower-class life style joins a militant Maori street gang that emphasizes the old ways and culture. Boogie (Taungaroa Emile) lands up in a juvenile detention center, for his association with the delinquents, where he realizes the values and strength of his warrior heritage. The thirteen-year-old Grace (Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell) finds solace in writing stories on ancient beliefs and legends. As the final tragedy hits the family, Beth decides to return to their Maori homeland and its worthy traditions, in an effort to save the family. [Tamahori, 1995]

Representation of Maori in Ngati and Once Were Warriors
While both Ngati and Once Were Warriors were acclaimed and honored by many film awards for their representation of the Maori culture and the social and political issues affecting the Maori community addressed by the movies, the two movies are strikingly different in their approach and perspective. Firstly, while Barclay has a clear political perspective of representing Maori self- determination and their gaining strength in industry, Tamahori’s perspective is essentially the social aspect of the urban Maori life, failing to adapt itself with modern Western way of life.
In Ngati (1987), the depiction of Maori culture and ways of life is accomplished with a strong sense of pride, and the Pakeha’s or the Europeans (represented by Doctor Paul Bennett’s family) are the ‘minority’ group who are made to cross the cultural boundaries in the community. The fact that they are able to do that with ease and readily form part of the community is evocative of the strong family and social culture of the Maoris. The depiction of Ropata’s illness – the community’s concern, Maoris’ openness to the Pakehas in adopting their treatment in an attempt to save the child, Tione’s loyalty to his friend are streaks that add to the values of Maori culture.
Though not in such a straight manner, Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors (1995) also discreetly suggests the strength and depth of family relationships in the Maori community, through the depiction of the struggles that Beth endures in holding the family together. The reality that the Heke’s finally decide to return to their Maori homeland so that they family could be saved is also suggestive of the integrative power of the Maori community. While the film is not critical in its approach, it subtly yet compellingly suggests the need for the Maoris to stay as a community to gain their social power to uphold the values in the European dominated society. The issue of domestic violence, alcoholism and other domestic unrest is seen as a consequence of the Heke’s negation of the traditional Maori values.

Barclay’s Ngati (1987) is set in the late 1940s, when the Maori were still a united community at least in the rural New Zealand and were gaining strength in the political and social domains, whereas Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors (1995), which tells the story of a urban Maori family of the 1990s, presents the socio-cultural degradation that has befallen on the community, in its attempt to adapt to the modern culture of New Zealand, in the process becoming second-class citizens, the oppressed minority, in their own land.

This is where Barclay’s Ngati contrasts with Once Were Warriors – As suggested earlier Barclay looks upon with pride on the strong Maori community whereas Tamahori, while trying to trace the cultural heritage of a proud people, who were once the conquerors of New Zealand, looks upon the Maori with disapproval for their negation of cultural lineage. In this regard it is worthwhile to note that Barclay is a staunch proponent of the Maori tradition and the entire crew behind Ngati were Maoris, justifying the proud representation, whereas Tamahori is a half Maori, who possibly is not truly rooted in the Maori tradition himself. Yet his conviction in the values of the Maori is apparent in the script and the sequences, particularly towards the finale.

While Ngati takes a gentle approach, the visuals crafted with a thoughtful restraint, as Peter Calder comments “bubbling beneath its surface is the most powerful political statement about Maoridom – and by extension all indigenous culture – our cinema has yet managed.” [Calder, 1987] Considered in this light Once Were Warriors lacks a clear political agenda, the film is even non-critical and subjective to a great extent, while it effectively presents the plight of the urban Maoris trying to adapt to modernity.