There is much debate about the dates and circumstances of the arrival of the Maori people on the island they call Aotearoa (aka New Zealand). Legend says the Maori arrived from the mythical homeland of Hawaiiki, and was discovered by the mythical figure Toi. Many scholars believe that the Maori began to show up from the eastern Pacific about 1,000 years ago, give or take several hundred years...

When we were in Aotearoa (aka New Zealand) in March 2006, we learned some traditional Maori short-poi with Migoto. Remember that the Maori always did poi dancing as part of ritual dances, which also included songs, steps, and a variety of actions (movements) which would tell stories symbolically.