Many Māori and Kiwi families have made the move to America to live the American dream, but what they left behind was their culture.
Lucky for them, there is a marae in Chicago that has become a place to call home.
Ruatepupuke is one of three meeting houses to be situated outside of New Zealand. Carved in 1880, 10 years later is was sold to the Field Museum in Chicago to be restored.
“This is probably the most precious place on the face of the earth apart from coming home,” says ex-pat Nicki Bennett.
“This is where we come and cry, this is where we come and laugh, this is where we come and sing.
“Although it may be far from home, its warmth is still felt by many.”
For many Māori who have lived in the Northern Hemisphere for over 30 years, seeing this meeting house has provided some respite for them.
“This is the place we come to when we need to re-centre, this is the place where we come to when we get homesick and where we just need to feed off each other," Ms Bennett said.
However, sometimes it's challenging for them to see the marae when they have to pay for a museum admission to visit.
Yet for many, it's worth the cost to have that connection with home, Kiwi Dino Rosta told TVNZ 1's Te Karere.
“It really grabs the heart,” he said. “It makes me think of back home, the whanau back home.”
SHARE ME