Urban Culture in NZ....Hip Hop in full effect

Before arriving to New Zealand, I was told that hip hop was big here, especially amongst the Maori. And it sure is, but just a few years behind. Walking around the Waitangi festival felt like South Beach Memorial Day weekend circa 2003 with basketball jerseys, baggy jeans, basketball caps and Jay-Z. Clinton and I smiled as we watched the familiar scene take place in this unfamiliar place.

In the last month, I have seen continued evidence of the globalization of black urban culture. Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a young man, a student and Director of Student Union @ Waikato. I was sitting on the bus headed to the Hamilton bus terminal, when he asked me what papers (courses) I was taking. I told him I was teaching at Waikato and he smiled. I said I taught anthropology to which he looked confused so I explained it was the study of cultures. An older women with a heavy NZ accent overheard out conversation and asked me "how much land do we Maori have left?" I turned around and explained that I did not know that. "You said you study culture," she replied. I smiled awkwardly and stated that though I study culture and I've heard about the Maori struggle for land, I regrettably don't know how much land is left. The young man asked me what papers I taught and then explained to me that he is in his 3 year of Maori studies. We shared a few more details about ourselves, when he asked me where I was from. I am guessing he heard my accent. I told him I was from the US, from NYC. He smiled excitedly and said "Ahh, so you are a niggah," with his head cocked to the side and his right hand signalling a pistol. I smirked and shook my head and said "No, in NYC city they would consider me Latina." "Sweet As (meaning cool)! Laaatiiinna!" he replied as if having heard the term before. Beyond his NZ/Maori accented English, I still recognized his performance of US hip hop culture and use of niggah. And in this context, I understood his use of the n word as "are you part of the black NYC urban group" and not in the Jim Crow South put-down. I think back and consider a variety of other things I could have explained to him but didn't. I guess I was a bit surprised when I heard him say it, even though I got what his context was.

Well, we rode to the bus terminal and he walked me to my next bus to auckland. He explained that he liked talking to people and thus really liked his new job as director of the student union. He lives in the Coromandels (beautiful mountain range area in the east coast of Auckland) and his Iwi (Maori word for largest social unit of extended kin)is in Auckland. He gave me his business card and asked to stay in touch. As we walked away, two Maori guys, thin-built and in their upper 20s asked him how to get to some location in Hamilton. They explained that they were from south island and where trying to find this spot. The guys went back and forth sharing information about where they were from and calling each other "cous." The guys were really excited to be in Hamilton and didn't seem to mind talking to the guy for 3 minutes and not getting the bus information they needed. It was interesting to see thier interaction...it reminded me of seeing my puerto rican uncles in NYC asking a man for directions and then excitedly finding out he was puerto rican too.