NEW ZEALAND TRIVIA

                                              Some Fun Facts

All automobiles are imported as New Zealand does not make cars.

Unwisely many kiwi plants were exported and now the country faces much competition for this crop. The largest competition comes from Brazil. Kiwi needs a wind break to grow successfully. The fruit grows on a vine similar to grapes. The vines are trellised so the fruit can be picked from beneath. The fruit is picked by hand in May. Originally known as the Chinese gooseberry, New Zealand knew that the  name would be a hindrance to sale, so it became kiwi.

Kiwi means three things—the people of New Zealand, the fruit and the nocturnal bird.

Cumera, a sweet potato, but much lighter in color and less flavorful than our yam, is a staple of the New Zealand diet.

There are no barns as we know them in New Zealand. At first it was strange to see grazing horses wearing blankets, but it became a familiar sight. The blankets help keep the horses warm on cool nights, keeps the dust off their coats and protects their skin from the sun.

Another odd thing we saw was the tails of all the cows had been cut off. There is no fly problem and it is said that the urine of a cow in a farmer’s eye can cause a serious hepatitis-like illness which is the primary reason for bobbing the cow’s tail.

Authentic Maori wood carvings have only three fingers on the hands, as the Maori believe only in birth, fertility, and death.

Pavlova, named for the singer, is a baked meringue pie shell filled with whipped cream (the real stuff) and topped with thin slices of kiwi. Australia and New Zealand argue who created the dessert and who can make the best one.

Hangi is the Maori method of cooking either in a steam pot or in an underground pit. A hangi feast is similar to a luau with native entertainment.

THE BEOTHUKS

                                               Native Peoples

At the time of European expansion and settlement in Newfoundland, the Beothuks were the native inhabitants of the island. The traditional lifestyle of these aboriginal peoples disintegrated with the influx of Europeans and the Micmacs from Nova Scotia. Initial contacts with these people are recorded as friendly, but misunderstanding and suspicion increased to the point where actual killings occurred on both sides for real or imaginary injustices. Finally starvation was added when the Europeans unknowingly blocked the Beothuks access to the coast and of their traditional livelihood. By the early 1800s the Boathooks had disappeared as a distinct cultural group. Research during the past decade has enabled a partial reconstruction of their culture, language and traditional pattern of life that this tragic historic period closed so quickly and forever.

            As hunters they took full advantage of the abundant food resources on the island seasonally either on the seacoast or the interior forests and barrens. Two major migrations were made each year to hunt and gather resources. Summer and spring meant hunting seals, whales and other sea mammals that were numerous during those times. Thousands of shore and sea birds with their eggs were no doubt another food source. In the fall the family groups moved inland to hunt caribou as the animals herded together to migrate.

            It is likely that family groups coalesced for the caribou hunt and to maintain the ‘deer fences’ that are reported to have stretched for miles. These fences funneled the migrating herds into one area so they could be easily speared. These animals provided skins for clothing and shelter and meat for the winter. Small game such as beaver, fox and ptarmigan supplemented the winter food supply. Winter shelter was provided by mamateeks. Soil was banked against the outside of the teepee to shut out the elements. The external bankings have outlined old mamateeks at several archaeological sites, including the Red Indian Lake and Exploits River sites.

            Because of poor preservability of wood and bone tools in the soil for centuries most artifacts found have been of stone, predominately spear and arrowheads reflecting their hunting activities. Beothuk burial sites have produced leather clothing with frills; birch bark vessels, sometimes with decorative stitching and notched edges, elaborately carved pendants and incised bone and ivory pieces as well as an occasional woodcarving. Metal knives, nails, sword and clay pipes indicate that the Beothuks were in contact with early French and English sailors. Beothuk burials have been found in caves and rock shelters along the numerous bays around the island. Red ochre, symbolic to many cultures as a life-giving force, was used lavishly on the body and articles buried with them. John Cabot described the Beothuks as average height with light brown skin and dark eyes and hair. Lt. Buchan of the Royal Navy added that they painted their bodies with red ochre and grease and this may be the origin of Red Indian. The last known Beothuk died in 1829.