ABSTRACT
In a cultured race, stories, myths, legends, lyrics, and poetry reflect oral traditions; buildings, carvings, weaving, and sculptures are the artistic portraits; and the games and dances are the kinetic aesthetic expression. Indigenous peoples throughout the world are ingenious in creating the reflections, portraits, and expressions that complement their environments and ways of being. When time is taken to observe and experience different cultures one finds that each has vast accumulations of interesting ways of demonstrating the profound wisdom of its people. In New Zealand one recognizes the true value of myths and legends when one sees the solidarity with which the Maori people of New Zealand have withstood the tests of time and have also felt the stoicism of some tribes as they sought compensation for past disparities.
