page_title: Hongi
hierarchical_section_title: Hongi
caption_attribution_description: Maj. Bill Eberhardt touches noses (Hongi) with a Maori warrior during a Powhiri, or welcoming ceremony, at Christchurch, New Zealand. Airmen from McChord AFB, Wash., are at Christchurch to begin the annual winter fly-in supporting the Antarctic program at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
context_page_description: The traditional Māori greeting, the hongi is performed by two people pressing their noses together; some include, at the same time, the touching of foreheads. The greeting is used at traditional meetings among Māori people, and at major ceremonies, such as a pōwhiri. It may be followed by a handshake.
  In the hongi, the ha is exchanged in a symbolic show of unity. Through the exchange of this greeting, manuhiri, visitors, blend with tangata whenua, the people of the land, and establish a connection.
  A rāhui was placed on the use of the hongi by some iwi and rūnanga as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
context_section_description: The traditional Māori greeting, the hongi ([ˈhɔŋi]) is performed by two people pressing their noses together; some include, at the same time, the touching of foreheads. The greeting is used at traditional meetings among Māori people, and at major ceremonies, such as a pōwhiri. It may be followed by a handshake.
  In the hongi, the ha (breath of life) is exchanged in a symbolic show of unity. Through the exchange of this greeting, manuhiri, visitors, blend with tangata whenua, the people of the land, and establish a connection.
  A rāhui (temporary ban) was placed on the use of the hongi by some iwi and rūnanga (tribes and tribal councils) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
caption: A U.S. airman and a Māori warrior exchange a hongi during a pōwhiri ceremony.
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