Brindlestyle

After Chinese New Year the highlight of February is Waitangi Day.

  2008 was a pearler.  With hangi for 500 guests

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Family Day Celebration at Lake Placid.

(Left) Flag of United Tribes of New Zealand

The next Cairns party will be St Patricks Day.  Another Indigenous culture fond of a good time, the sharing of company, and songs that tell our stories.

There was heaps for the kids, congratulations to the organisers -you did a big job- beautifully.  We'll all be ready to line up for the waka race and other events again next year.  And thanks to all the cooks and servers for pulling of a mammoth task - with the meal.  Oh yeah - and the music was deadly too.

* Deadly - local expression meaning -  Like the creatures of the tropics, ie: crocodile - deserving appropriate respect. 

TV tried replacing our traditional storytelling

 with it's insipid totalitarianism but we're too fond of good times.

Waitangi Day in Cairns -Australia also provided the chance to meet New Zealand film-maker Reihana Waru, who has copies of  the DVD  Buda Dji Dreaming for sale at the kiosk.   The lake is in the traditional lands of the Buluwai people.

Visitors will also see Buda Dji portrayed on the Kuranda Train.

Our family faves is a celebration in seasonal song.

this month Herbs and...    "Sensitive to a Smile."

 Aroha is Bigger than Love

Aroha is prayer that is heard Is the answer and the call.

 The incessant drip drip drip, subtle erosion, assimilation and integration can't

 break  the Wananga or our Kohanga Reo  Aroha is bigger than love...  

Buddha: There is no path to happiness - happiness is the path.

Currently, wānanga offer certificates, diplomas, and Bachelor degrees, and some provide programmes in specialized areas through the Doctoral level. Wānanga educational programmes are accredited through the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and Ministry of Education, and are partly governed by New Zealand's Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

In traditional times wānanga conveyed meanings related to highly evolved knowledge, lore, occult arts, and also 'forum' in the sense of a discussion to arrive at deeper understanding