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Boris Johnson Compares Traditional Māori Greeting To A Headbutt

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Reporter, HuffPost UK

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Boris Johnson has told a Māori congregation in New Zealand their traditional greeting would be “misinterpreted in a pub in Glasgow”.

The Foreign Secretary is visiting the Commonwealth nation for two days as Britain looks to strengthen its ties with its former colony.

“It’s my first time in New Zealand and of course I’m discovering there are some things we have in common with this wonderful place and with the Māori,” he said on Monday.

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Boris Johnson was introduced to the traditional Hongi greeting during a visit to New Zealand
Reuters

“A tradition of strong female leadership which we have in the United Kingdom.

“Thank you for teaching me the Hongi, which I think is a beautiful form of introduction. Though it might be misinterpreted in a pub in Glasgow if you were to try it.”

Watch video of Johnson’s comments, above.

What is the Hongi? 

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Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hongis with Maori elder Lewis Moeau in 2010
Anthony Phelps / Reuters

The Hongi is performed as a greeting among Maori, who press their nose and forehead together, and is used in place of a formal handshake.

There’s a mysticism attached to the move, with the act of pressing noses seen as a sharing of the breath of life.

Prince William and Hillary Clinton have all performed the greeting on recent visits - though they stopped short of comparing it to a headbutt.

All The Times Politicians And Royals Have Tried The Hongi
(01 of11)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hongis with Maori elder Rose Tahuparae White (L) during the Maori welcome (Powhiri) as she arrives at Parliament in Wellington, November 4, 2010. REUTERS/Anthony Phelps (NEW ZEALAND - Tags: POLITICS) (credit:Anthony Phelps / Reuters)
(02 of11)
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FILE PHOTO 12SEP99 - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin receives a "hongi", a traditional Maori welcome from Maori tribal elder Sir Hugh Kawharu at the official welcoming ceremony for APEC leaders in Auckland in this September 12 file photo Russian President Boris Yeltsin announced his early resignation on Friday and said that Putin would be Russia's acting President until the next presidential election in three months time.CC/AA (credit:Reuters Photographer / Reuters)
(03 of11)
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Australian Prime Minister John Howard receives a "hongi", a traditional Maori welcome which requires the pressing of noses, from Maori tribal elder Sir Hugh Kawharu at the official welcoming ceremony for APEC leaders in Auckland September 12. Leaders from 21 economies in the the Asia-Pacific region meet annually for the two day event.**DIGITAL IMAGE** (credit:Mark Baker / Reuters)
(04 of11)
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Norway's Prime Minister Bondevik hongis with Kura Moeahu during his official welcome to the parliament in Wellington. Norway's Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik (R) hongis with Kura Moeahu during his official welcome to the parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, March 14, 2005. Bondevik is in New Zealand on a three-day visit. REUTERS/Anthony Phelps (credit:Reuters Photographer / Reuters)
(05 of11)
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England's captain Lewis Moody (L) exchanges a Hongi (a traditional Maori greeting) with a local during the official welcome ceremony for the Rugby World Cup at Dunedin City Hall September 6, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (NEW ZEALAND - Tags: SPORT RUGBY) (credit:Stefan Wermuth / Reuters)
(06 of11)
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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, exchanges a "hongi" (gentle pressing of noses, signifying the sharing of the breath of life) with Ngati Whatua's Taiaha Hawke as she attends the Armistice Day Commemoration at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, November 11, 2012. Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are in Auckland, New Zealand, for the final leg of their Pacific tour to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee. REUTERS/Nigel Marple (NEW ZEALANDS - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS MILITARY ROYALS ANNIVERSARY) (credit:Nigel Marple / Reuters)
(07 of11)
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Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper exchanges a Hongi, a traditional Maori greeting, with a traditionally dressed Maori warrior during a welcoming ceremony at Government House in Auckland New Zealand November 14, 2014. REUTERS/Shane Wenzlick (NEW ZEALAND - Tags: POLITICS) (credit:Stringer . / Reuters)
(08 of11)
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Britain's Prince Harry exchanges a hongi with a Maori elder after his welcome to Putiki marae during his visit to Whanganui, May 14, 2015. Prince Harry is on a week-long tour of New Zealand. REUTERS/Anthony Phelps (credit:Anthony Phelps / Reuters)
(09 of11)
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Britain's Prince Charles (R) exchanges a hongi, a traditional Maori greeting, with a local Iwi at the Te Rewa Rewa bridge, which is part of the Coastal Walkway, near the town of New Plymouth, New Zealand, November 9, 2015. REUTERS/Marty Melville/Pool (credit:POOL New / Reuters)
(10 of11)
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hongis, a traditional New Zealand Maori welcome, with Piri Sciascia during an official welcoming ceremony at Government House in Wellington, New Zealand, March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Anthony Phelps TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (credit:Anthony Phelps / Reuters)
(11 of11)
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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson performs a 'hongi' with an official as he participates in a welcoming ceremony at Premier House in Wellington, New Zealand, June 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Tantrum/Pool (credit:POOL New / Reuters)
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