Year 8 Incursion - Mana Spirit of Polynesia

On Monday 13th August, Bernard Mangakahia visited MGC to perform “Mana” The Spirit of Polynesia. He taught us about many different cultural traditions and performed a number of dances.  My favourite dance was the Native American hoop dance. I liked the way that each hoop represented a certain challenge that people must face throughout their lives. The hoop also represents the way that each challenge will continue in an endless cycle and will keep on repeating itself until the challenge is faced.  The key message of the performance was that you should always follow your dreams and if you work hard enough you can achieve anything that you aim for. We also learnt about how you can change traditions and try new things to expand boundaries. The performance also tied in well with our study of the film “Whale Rider.” In the film, Paikea was brave and challenged tradition in her tribe and succeeded in changing the way her grandfather viewed women in her tribe. This allowed for girls to reclaim their power and use it for good.

Greta Clark-Walsh 8H