| Fresh food - hot from the Maori hangi oven. |
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Hakari is the act of ritual feasting that traditionally applied to the eating of cooked food. Symbolically, the hakari recognises the transition from the spiritual realm of the powhiri back into the physical world where food is shared.
The hakari is a celebration of unity and is a great time to get to know someone. Remember that fierce warrior who confronted you on arrival, or the woman whose call of welcome pierced your heart and memories? Now is a good time to make their acquaintance. Everyone on the marae is now part of the one family or tangata whenua (people of the land).
Most marae (tribal meeting places) have a wharekai, a dedicated area or building for eating. Inside there is always a festive atmosphere and sense of informality, with each tribal area serving its own special delicacies.
At the Waitangi National Trust estate one could expect to be given seafood, treats from forests, rivers and lakes. Food cooked over hot stones in an earth oven known as a hangi is a favourite, traditional way of preparing food.
The cooks and kitchen workers, known as the ringawera, are revered on every marae. You can always identify the 'Number One Cook' - she's usually scanning the tables making sure that no one has an empty plate or berating her helpers for not having the food quite warm enough. The wharekai or main eating house is her domain and is symbolic of women and food being the neutralising elements of tapu (spiritual restrictions).
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