An Indian girl dressed in traditional attire reacts to camera as she watches a cultural performance during Lohri festival in Jammu, India, Monday, January 13, 2014. Lohri is a celebration of the winter solstice observed by Hindus and Sikhs in northern India. (Photo by Channi Anand/AP Photo)

The long and intriguing story of the origine of the indigenous Maori people can be traced back to the 13th century, the mythical homeland Hawaiki, Eastern Polynesia. Due to centuries of isolation, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology. Defining aspects of Maori traditional culture include art, dance, legends, tattoos and community. While the arrival of European colonists in the 18th centure had a profound impact on the Maori way of life, many aspects of traditional society have survived into the 21th century.

Hanging bird cages are displayed on poles during a bird-singing contest in the Rueso district in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on March 23, 2014. Hundreds of bird owners from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore took part in the traditional contest held every year. (Photo by Madaree Tohlala/AFP Photo)

A woman carries a stone cross in a cemetery in the village of Copaciu, southern Romania, on May 2, 2013. As part of a Holy Week tradition, Romanians visit, on Maundy Thursday, the graves of their loved ones, light fires and share food with community members in memory of the departed. Orthodox worshipers celebrate Easter on May 5. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/ Mediafax)

Masked men ride in a morning procession as part of the “Cavalhadas” festival in Pirenopolis, Brazil, Sunday, May 19, 2013. The popular festival is a tradition that was introduced in the 1800's by a Portuguese priest to mark the the ascension of Christ. The 3-day festival reenacts the Christian knights' medieval defeat of the Moors. (Photo by Eraldo Peres/AP Photo)

The giant mural titled “Under the Hand” by Maclaim Crew is visible on a building facade in Kreuzberg district on June 26, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin, with its long tradition of counter-culture, has become a mecca for street art of all dimensions and messages. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Women dressed in traditional Chinese costumes wait perform in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Nankinmachi square, China Town on February 8, 2016 in Kobe, Japan. In Nankinmachi, the district known as Kobe Chinatown, tourists enjoyed Chinese food, lion dance and the parade organized to celebrate the Lunar New Year. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

A 3-month-old ethnic Tujia baby girl is pictured next to her father as they wait for a traditional ethnic Tujia wedding feast during celebrations marking the Lunar New Year in Ziqiu town, Changyang county of China’s Hubei province, February 15, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)