Swish and Sorrow

The past week marked another first in my athletic career: netball. Somehow unbeknownst to me I was coerced into playing for the second rung team of Ngati Ruanui, the organization that employs me. From my recollection I was asked if I wanted to join in a pick-up game on Sunday as they were a player short. Why not? The next thing I know I was attending practice on Monday night and was put in the line-up for Saturday's game. Okay. It was another new experience I could add to my memory bank and my blog.

Let me give you a short description of netball. Again, it is a game only known to the Commonwealth states, a fact lost on most New Zealanders as evidenced by comments such as, "I wonder why netball isn't an Olympic event?" In brief, it's girlie basketball. This is supported by the fact that only girls play the sport (at least originally) and the uniform includes a skirt. It differs from basketball in that there's no net on the basket, you can't dribble, can't step with the ball, and can't contact another player. In fact, when facing your opponent you must maintain a 3 foot radius. This presented a slight problem for me given my whole defensive game when playing basketball in my younger years involved contact (and a lot of fouls). You might imagine I was a little nervous about the actual refereed game on Saturday. Unfortunately, our game was cancelled due to the death of a prominent trustee member of the Ngati Ruanui Iwi on Thursday. Someone who also happens to be a patient of mine along with his extended family.

The Maori memorial process is quite extensive and prolonged. It begins almost immediately at the time of death. The body is embalmed and then brought back to the family home where relations are received to view the body. Shortly thereafter, the body is move to the Maera, or meeting house, where it is displayed and the female members of the immediate family sit with the deceased. Here again, relations and friends are received to give their condolences. It is at the Maera that I joined the other members of the clinic on Thursday night to pay our respects. There were several groups who came through that night is succession, each giving a small offering to the family and receiving tea, or dinner, at the end of the process. Mattresses are also set up in the Maori with the expectation that family members arriving later that night or the next day will stay with the body until the actual memorial service several days later. The collective process is called a 'tangi', which literally means "to cry". And there was certainly plenty of that.

As an aside, so as not to end on a sad note, I would like to wish all the moms I know a happy New Zealand Mother's Day, as it comes a day early from the stateside.