Gene Waaka—one of two maori living in Munich
The Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, are a rugged race. When, in the early 19th century, Great Britain—then the most powerful Empire on earth—attempted to colonize Aotearoa (New Zealand), the Maoris fiercely resisted the invaders. Britain, fearing defeat, sought an armistice that resulted in an uneasy truce.Today, the Maori are still a proud people, who maintain and cherish their rich culture and warrior heritage. It came therefore as no surprise to expat, Munich resident Gene Teao Waaka when he learned the circumstances of his Uncle Te Maka’s death. Fighting with the 28th Maori Battalion in Berlin during World War II, Waaka’s uncle lost his arm. While the rest of the battalion retreated in the face of intense fire, the red rage descended on Te Maka and, brandishing his severed arm like a club, he charged directly into enemy lines. “And that was the last time his mates saw him alive,” says Waaka, retelling the story after hearing it from the survivors of the 28th Maori Battalion early last year, when he honored his family’s request to visit a Commonwealth War Cemetery in Faenza, Italy, to take part in a Powhiri ceremony. Sponsored and organized by his tribe, the ritual was held to commemorate fallen Maori. “It’s a call to awaken the life force of the fallen and unify their spirits with those of the living. It is a matter of respect, of letting them know they have not been forgotten and to calm their spirits and bring them peace,” explains Waaka.
Kinship is pivotal in Maori cosmology. Waaka, for example, can trace his direct ancestors back 30 generations. It is, therefore, hard to believe that someone whose world view is shaped by such strong familial and tribal relationships could easily adapt to life in a foreign city on the other side of the world. “I had culture shock. I had come straight from ‘the bush’ and walking around in a city of one to two million people takes some getting used to,” Waaka admits. “Then there was the language. I not only had to learn German, but had to improve my English because no one understood my accent or the New Zealand slang. But, I have always enjoyed living here.”
Only one other Maori is registered as living in Munich, a fact that makes Waaka a decidely exotic minority. He arrived in 1995 after stepping off an ICE train while on a Tiki (wandering) tour of Europe, and looked up Susanne, a German tourist he had once met in a group of New Zealand backpackers. The couple was married a year later and, apart from one trip to New Zealand for a wedding reception, have lived here ever since. While the broad range of entertainment—theater, ballet, contemporary dance and the fine arts—are among Munich’s primary attractions for Waaka, one of his favorite activities is hiking in the Alps. “New Zealand is a concentrated Europe. From the fjords of Norway to the Alps of Switzerland and the rolling hills of England, we have all the European landscapes condensed into two islands. Walking through the mountain lakes of Bavaria really evokes memories of home,” he says.
Waaka grew up on the Marae, a traditional Maori village in the lands of the Kai Tahu tribe. After completing an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner, he became involved in Maori theater and dance troupes. Since coming to Munich he has turned his hand to a variety of work, including employment in a copy shop, as a building superintendent, and a gardener. More recently he founded his own handyman/odd job business.
Waaka and his wife had a son in September 2000 and, in tribute to his dual cultural heritage, named the boy Maximilian Te Maramahuakea (which means God of the Moon). Although Maximilian is yet to visit New Zealand, Waaka says the family plans to fly there next Christmas and introduce Maximilian to his relatives. “We’ll take his placenta with us and bury it on the tribal lands beneath a sappling. As he grows, there will be a strong life force growing with him and binding him forever to Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud),” Waaka explains. “As a Maori, I know I can always return and will be welcomed by the tribe and the same applies to Maximilian. In this way, although we have created a home in Munich, Maximilian will always have a second homeland where he will be welcome if he wishes to return.”
