Māori Culture

The source examines the descent groups iwi and hapu with a direct translation Extract
and the pertinence and degree of organization in Maori communities. It goes to Maori iwi and hapu are two of the categories of descent groups - groups of kin linked primarily by their
direct descent from a common ancestor - through which the Maori organised and organise their lives. Iwi
prove the relevance of order and hierarchy in Maori culture just as it does in
and hapu are often referred to in a bilingual mix as ‘tribes’ and ‘hapu’. Peoples (persons composing a
modern societies. This in turn confirms the theory of how the Maori were community, tribe, race, or nation) and ‘clans’ (a group with a common ancestor) would be better glosses
uncivilised as a myth. This source is useful for learning about the governance in than ‘tribes’ and ‘sub-tribes’ because they avoid the structural connotations of the latter terms.
Maori culture and how they organised the separate ‘tribes’ and clans. Because it - Angela Ballara
is a secondary source, it is not the most reliable, however it has been written by
a respected historian who studies Maori culture and race relations. The source Toi Moko
is an extract of the introduction from a well-known book about Maori tribal
This source is an example of the toi moko or tattooed head,
management named Iwi: The Dynamics of Maori Tribal Organisation.
which were and continue to be incredibly sacred to the Māori
people as they held great cultural significance. The toi moko
represents an individual's social power, skill in an area and
wisdom. This implies they had an intricately organised social
Portrait hierarchy, which further cements the fact that tribes were
Weaving was both important to Māori culture and perhaps more civilised than originally believed by historians,
to their survival. This source not only gives us an with an elementary system of government. As aforementioned, the toi moko
insight of the art of flax weaving but also what they indicated the extent of one’s skill and wisdom. This suggests that various roles
were used for, the standard of clothing and the within a tribe existed within society. The toi moko would be useful to a historian
building achievements of the Māori. We can also studying Polynesia because they imply that the Māori people had a structured
see in the painting that there is a dog calmly system for government and the roles of the people in their society, which once
sleeping amongst the busy women. If they had pets and emotional remained to be acknowledged.
connections towards animals, it goes to show that the Māori are not the cruel
and uncivilised creatures as previously presumed. The source also portrays
how developed their building skills and clothing styles were. The Māori clearly
PEEL:
did not just build a basic hut, but designed their homes with intricate wood Perhaps one of the most significant achievements of the Māori culture of
carvings and witty engineering. All this being said, the source is secondary and New Zealand was their practice of tattooing. Their native method of
was painted after European settlement. Many features of the painting (such as creating tattoos held much cultural and spiritual value for the Māori
the building techniques) may have been obtained by the Māori from the people as the tattoos signified wealth, status, beauty, individuality and
Europeans. Therefore, the source can not be classified as that reliable but it is many other meaningful ideas and beliefs that were cherished in their
useful to historians to an extent because of all the features presented by it. culture. This tradition of representing their most sacred ideas and
morals in a visual form is thousands of years old, and remains an
extremely important component of the current Māori culture. Tattoos
Waka were a relatively common form of art throughout Polynesia, however the
Māori people had some of the most elaborate designs and therefore
The traditional war boat (waka) was an they have become the most famous for that art. If one was not adorned
important cultural achievement of the Māori. with a tattoo or tatau, as they were mostly referred to in their native
This boat, situated in Otago Museum, Dunedin, language, it was looked down upon and considered shameful. As a
New Zealand, is a reconstruction of a result, when James Cook and his accompaniment disembarked on the
traditional waka bought by the museum in 1931. The boat has been
island of the Māori, they inevitably returned with a myriad of tattoos
refurbished since then as it is said to have been made in 1840. The waka is a
commonly located in the buttock area. It was highly likely that they felt
primary source as it was made by the Māori when European settlers were
pressured to obtain these sacred tattoos due to their importance. As the
starting to arrive. Therefore, the source is highly reliable for historians
investigating waka and the cultural relevance of the waka to the Māori. We can
tattoos were almost compulsory for everyone to have, it implies that they
tell that the waka is a significant achievement in Māori culture by examining were a crucial pillar of Māori culture. The tattoos generally tended to
the appearance and decorations on it. It is cleverly curved to represent symbolise manhood, power, status, belief and gave these a corporeal
different things; in a way the carvings are the language of the Māori. form, rendering them all the more precious and significant seeing as
Furthermore, it is also useful in learning about the building and curving they did not have a true written language so as to express it in any other
techniques used by the Māori. form.

Timeline:
100 years = 4 cm

The British Crown and many

Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of
One group of Māori settled Waitangi, allowing New Zealand
the Chatham Islands, forming to become part of the British
a separate, pacifist culture Empire and granting Māori the
known as the Moriori. status of British subjects.
1300 1400 1642 1860
}

1500 1840
Abel Tasman began Māori Rising tensions over disputed
relations with Britain. land sales led to conflict and
Arrival of Polynesian settlers large-scale land confiscations.
in New Zealand (Aotearoa), by Social upheaval and epidemics
a series of ocean migrations of introduced disease also
in canoes, eventually forming took a devastating toll on the
a distinct culture that became Māori people, causing their
known as the Māori. population to decline and their
standing in New Zealand to
diminish.