Differences in American and New Zealand Culture

By Hammad Basharat

Indigenous cultures play a key part in the genetic makeup and history of a country, and many countries do a fair bit to celebrate their individual heritages by recognizing where they originally originated from. Sometimes this involves festivals or month-long celebrations to honor their past, but more often than not, some countries celebrate where they came from in a more subtle way.

Apopka, Florida and New Zealand are just two examples of areas that have a rich cultural history revolving around indigenous people, and both recognize their origins in similar ways.

Cultural History of Apopka

The earliest known inhabitants of Apopka were a group of indigenous people known as the Acuera people, and they lived in the region, now known as Apopka, during the 16th and 17th centuries. The people spoke the Timucua language and were governed by chiefdoms, a popular form of law and democracy highly respected by the Native Americans. A century later, a mass migration occurred, and lots of fresh Native American people from Alabama and Georgia started to migrate to the Apopka area, forming a brand new civilization: the Seminole tribe.

Cultural History of New Zealand

The heritage of Apopka is quite similar to New Zealand's own past.

New Zealand's earliest known inhabitants originated from East Polynesia. Known as the Maori people, they traveled from their own island to New Zealand during several waka (canoe) voyages during the 14th century, making New Zealand their permanent home. These indigenous settlers created their own culture and traditions, some of which have been integrated into modern New Zealand society. For example, the haka, a chilvarous posture dance often performed as a sign of respect, originated as a Maori warrior dance and is now used in schools, sports, and many other traditional events.

Cultural Similarities

Although Florida and New Zealand have clear cultural differences when it comes down to country heritage, they also have a lot in common. The most obvious similarity is the fact both America and New Zealand have a similar currency - both use the "dollar" as their main form of payment (though the American dollar is a different currency type than the New Zealand dollar). Both countries are also known to have similar tastes in entertainment, enjoying watching feature movies, listening to music, playing computer and console games, and experiencing online casinos. You can get all the details from Josh Long of Bonusfinder NZ if you're interested in online casinos and the bonuses you can earn.

Apopka in Modern Times

Celebrating the Acuera and Seminole indigenous tribes in the Apopka area should be a frequent thing respected by citizens of the city. One way of doing this is partaking in Indigenous Peoples' Day, a holiday that honors the history and culture of Native American peoples, observed on October 11 (some states support it on October 12) each year. You could contribute to this day by reading sacred writings and other works by indigenous writers, learning more about the origins and cultures of your area, or researching the many great figures who lived long before you were born, and learn about their stories.

Indigenous people play a special part in celebrating a country's culture, so to be able to respect these traditions and keep them going shows just how far America has come these past few decades.