Hongi
The Hongi ( māori: smell, sniff ) is a traditional welcome ritual of Māori in New Zealand.
There are slightly different processes and different postures of the arms and hands while Hongi. Is common to all ceremonies, however, that when Hongi noses are pressed together to feel the breath of the respective other. The Hongi symbolizes the first breath of life between two people encounter each.
Expiration
Version 1
The located Greet ends go toward each other, saying " Tena koe " ( German: Hello, thank you), to give the right hand shake for hands, lean your head forward in order to touch until the end and then the nose gently against each other to presses. The lugs are not side rubbed against each other, as sometimes erroneously stated.
Version 2
How Version 1, with the only difference that the left hand is placed on the right shoulder of the opponent and the nose is gently pressed twice against each other. In other areas, this happens only once.
Background
According to tradition, this type of greeting to replace the breath goes on Tāne, the god of the forest and the birds back, which is to have the people breathed the first breath.
The Hongi is an integral part of the powhiri, the welcome greeting ceremony at a marae. After greeting follows the food. Thus, the visitor ( manuhiri ) is a part of the local people ( tangata whenua ) and thus become part of the family ( whanau ) of a marae. From the modern daily life of the Māori of Hongi has virtually disappeared and is now replaced by a kiss in adults.
That a Hongi can be celebrated not only by peaceful aspects but, show expressions of Tame Iti, a radical activists of Ngai Tuhoe. He described in August 2008 that you can get to know his enemy better by Hongi. "You hongi your enemy Because it 's better to have eye- to- eye contact with them - to know Their shape, Their shape, Their smell and Their thinking. " ( German: Do you greet your enemy because it is better to have eye-to -eye contact with him - their shape, their shape, to know their smell and their thinking. ")