New Zealand’s Māori chiefs have a new Queen.
On Thursday, Sept. 5, Kiingi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII — who reigned as the Māori King from 2006 — was laid to rest after he died on Aug. 30 at the age of 69, per the BBC. His death came just days after he celebrated the 18th anniversary of his coronation on Aug. 21.
His 27-year-old daughter Ngā Wai hono i te pō has now become the second Māori Queen, and the eighth monarch of the country’s indigenous Māori chiefs. She was crowned in a special ceremony in the North Island, according to the outlet.
“The new monarch was raised up in a ceremony known as Te Whakawahinga, in front of thousands of people gathered for the tangihanga of Kiingi Tuheitia,” a statement shared on the Kiingitanga’s (Māori King Movement’s) Instagram page read.
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The new Queen’s grandmother,…
