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1.What was the original profession of the new Maori king? A ...
2.By whom was Paki chosen as the new Maori monarch? ... throughout New
Zealand.
3.Why did the Maori people decide to select their first king? To ...
struggling to retain ownership of their land.
A 51-year-old university employee took his place on the ornately carved
wooden throne of New Zealand’s Maori monarch, hours before his mother, the late
queen, was buried atop a sacred mountain. The late Maori queen was buried among
five royal forebears, six days after her death at 75. Thousands of people
crammed a meeting place for the ceremony naming the new monarch after days of
mourning that saw tens of thousands pay their respects to the queen. Paki was
chosen as the new monarch by tribal leaders throughout New Zealand at secret
meetings over the past few days. At the formal Ascension or “Raising Up”
ceremony, he tapped on his head with the same Bible used to crown the last six
Maori monarchs. Moments before his crowning the crowd was asked whether he
should be king: the spectators replied “ai!” or “yes”. The Maori line of
sovereigns stretches back to 1858, when the indigenous people selected their
first king to unite tribes struggling to retain ownership of their land amid an
influx of British immigrants. As the late queen’s coffin was closed by
attendants, three white doves were released, signifying her departing spirit.
One dove sat on the ground, only flying away after the coffin lid had been
closed — seen by Maori mourners as a sign of the reluctance of the queen to
leave them. The coffin was taken to the Taupiri Mountain, the sacred burial
place of the Tainui tribe. |
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