-By Amir Isakhunov
Introduction:
“The Maori is steeped in legend.”
• Legend Version: Around 950 A.D. Chief Kupe travels from a mythical homeland called Hawaiki in a canoe
• He stopped near Wellington Whanganui-a-tara.
NO SPECIFICS
• When he first spotted land, he said: “He ao, he aotea he aotearoa” It is a cloud...a white cloud...a long white cloud.
KNOWN
• New Zealand then became known to the Maori as Aotearoa
(Maori History. “Love New Zealand”)
What Are The Maori?
“The Maori are the native or indigenous Polynesian people of New
,,
Zealand
- intercontinentalcry.org
(“Maori News and Analysis on Intercontinental Cry.” Intercontinental Cry)
A Brief History
• When first settled, they were isolated from the cultures of other countries
• Average Population: 300 – 400 people
• Not much is known about the history due to language and traditions being
mostly oral
(Maori History. “Maori Source”)
• Since it was made up of islands, half of the food source
were fish, seals etc.
• Built canoes in order to travel from island to island
• Isolated Culture
• Rich grassy environment was a match made in heaven for
farming
• Rich forest environment resulted in extremely durable
and pretty houses
• Surplus of wood = Majority of weapons being made out of
wood
• Surplus of minerals = Various types of jewelry and
weapons
• Te Ara (official Maori website made by a Maori person (Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. “1. – Ahuwhenua –
with Maori everything) states, “The Māori names also Māori Land and Agriculture – Te Ara Encyclopedia of
signify the country’s long, narrow shape – the North
Island is Te Ika a Māui (the fish of Māui, a legendary New Zealand.”)
character), and the South is Te Waka o Māui (the canoe of
Māui).”
• 1300 AD
• The Maori established settlements along the coast and some inland
• Main Food: Seals, Moa, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Other Vegetables…
• Some were farmers
• Some were hunters
• Not many important events
• NOT THAT IMPORTANT…
(Maori History. “Maori Source”)
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(Maori History. “Maori Source”)
HAKA
• The HAKA is a war dance that originated
from New Zealand. It is a group dance that
involves vigorous movements and chants.
• Was performed before a battle to
intimidate the opponent.
• Still used to this day.
• Performers in a HAKA use many body
motions and expressions which may
include bulging eyes, sticking out of the
tongue, stomping feet, and slapping the
body with their hands.
• Different Types of HAKAs: Some types of HAKAs are
Whakatu Waewae used for different
Tutu Ngarahu purposes.
Peruperu (Maori Haka Dance. “Maori
Ngeri Source”, )
Manawa wera
Ka Mate
©
• The Maori used materials available to them to make their
weapons; this included wood, whale bones, jade, and stone.
• Boys began training at a very young age. (Wrist training to aid
weapon handling).
• Females rarely took part
• The Maori were experts of ambushing and surprise raids.
• They usually attacked at dawn and aimed at killing all the
members of the opposing tribe in order to prevent revenge.
(Maori Weapons. “Maori Source”, Maori Warriors. “Maori Source”)
Patu
Mere
Kotiate
Wahaika
(Taken from MaoriSource.com)
Maori People
• Legend Version: The Maori swam to the coast on canoes, right after Chief Kupe’s arrival (no real version unfortunately)
• The Maori are slightly dark skinned
• The Maori are well known for their stunning and unique tattoos
• The amount of tattoos (ta moko) represented social status
• Design of tattoos represented genealogy
• Slaves were also marked with tattoos
• Sometimes the tattoos were worn by in people
order to attract a person of the opposite sex
• Maori men usually had their faces, thighs, and buttocks
tattooed; Maori women usually had their lips and chin
Tattooed
(Maori Tattooing. “Maori Source’’)
• Translation: Iwi (people/nation)
• The Iwi were divided into smaller tribe divisions called “Hapu”
• Hapu = Main Unit In Social Structure
• Hapus were extended families divided into sub-tribes
• The leaders inherited the prestige from their predecessors
• Democracy
• Important decisions were made during meetings held at the main plaza
• The chief listened to the opinions of people and then make the final pick
• The indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand had no concept of land ownership
(Maori Tribe. “Maori Source”)
Largest Maori Tribes
Ngapuhi (125,601)
Ngati Porou (71,049)
Ngai Tahu (54,819)
Waikato (40,083)
Maori CULTURE Food)
• Mostly relied on fishing as a food source
• Some of the meals were also birds and seals
• The now extinct Moa Bird
• The meals were prepared with spices and exotic herbs
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes were also grown in tribal gardens
(“Kai - Traditional Māori Food.”
TNZ Media)
(Historical Notes on Vietnam War Resisters in
Maori CULTURE (Jewelry)
• The Maori LOVED jewelry
• Had many types of jewelry
Pearl Spiral: 60$ Bone Hook: 58$
• Used dozens of unique materials
• Jade, Bones, Pearl, Silver etc.
• Mainly served the purposes it serves today
Sterling Silver & Jade Cufflinks:
(Maori Necklaces. “Maori Source” 145$ Jade Pikoria: 120$
Maori Pendants. “Maori Source”) 85$ OUT OF STOCK
Maori Culture (Mourning)
Step 1: After about a week of mourning, the burying process begins
Step 2: The dead were buried, dug back up and then reburied
Step 3: A year later, the body was dug up and the remains were painted with oka (a natural red pigment)
Step 4: Before the second burial procedure, another ceremony of mourning was done
FINAL STEP: Bury the remains again!
(Simon Whistler. Top 10 TERRIFYING Facts About MAORI WARRIORS.)
Maori CULTURE (Head Rituals)
•
• “You wanted to run away didn’t you? But my greenstone
club overtook you! And after you were cooked, you
were made food for me! And where is your father? He is
cooked. And where is your brother? He is eaten. And
where is your wife? There she sits; a wife for me. And
where are your children? There they are, loads on their
backs carrying food as my slaves.”
-Some Maori Fella
(Simon Whistler.)
Maori Religion
• Whaitiri (goddess of thunder, cannibal)
• Ruaumoko (diety of earthquakes & seasons)
TE AITANGA A
• Punga (diety of all things ugly, his name was used in insults) PUNGA
• Uenuku (GOD OF RAINBOWS!!!)
• Rehua (star god)
(Top 5 Maori Gods. “All Top 5s”)
• Tamati Ngapora (New Zealand Waikato leader, lay preacher, assessor and adviser to the Māori
King)
• Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (Māori warrior, leader of the Waikato iwi, the first Māori King and
founder of the Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. He was first known just as Te Wherowhero and
took the name Pōtatau after he became king in 1858)
• Hongi hikhi (most famous tribe leader in the history of Maori)
(Heritage Te Manatu Taonga) (Simon Whistler.) (Heritage Te Manatu Taonga)
just some brief history facts
• The Maori have been through two world wars
• Almost every part of their culture has its own legend
• Infanticide was popular among mothers (describe in words what that its. Basically
when a mother violently kills her baby if there is something wrong with it, like a
disability)
• CANNIBALISM!!!
• First person to discover the Maori was Captain James Cook. He was greeted with an
immediate battle
• Some missionaries have once visited the Maori and attempted to convert them to
Christianity
• The relationship of the Maori and the European was a very important part of shaping
New Zealand today…
(Whitmore, Robbie. The Maori - New Zealand in History), (Simon Whistler), (Maori History. “Maori Source”,)
European Period: part 3
• The first encounters with the Europeans weren’t the most
pleasant (wars, diseases being spread etc.)
• In 1840, William Hobson (European explorer) wanted to negotiate
with the Maori and created the Treaty of Waitangi
• Some Maori chiefs agreed to sign the treaty while some didn’t
• The disagreement of some chiefs, caused a rebellion
• The rebellion led to the Maori losing almost all of their land and
culture
(Maori History. “Maori Source”)
Currently the Maori culture is doing as well as ever in New
Zealand. Some Maori politicians decided to cooperate with the
Europeans in the end. This lead to a steady rise of the Maori population,
and later brought the Maori back to life!
(Maori History. “Maori Source”)
Works Cited
•
Maori History. “Maori Source”, 23 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/MaoriHistory.html
• Maori Culture. “Maori Source”, 23 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/MaoriCulture.html
• Maori People. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori.html
• Maori Weapons. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/MaoriWeapons.html
• Maori Warriors. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori-Warriors.html
• Maori Tribe. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori-Tribe.html
• Maori Tattooing. “Maori Source’’, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/MaoriTattooing.html
• Maori Necklaces. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori-Necklaces.html
• Maori Pendants. “Maori Source”, 24 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori-Pendants.html
• Maori Source. “Maori Source”, 22 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/
•
Maori Haka Dance. “Maori Source”, 25 April 2018. http://maorisource.com/Maori-Haka-Dance.html
•
Maori History. “Love New Zealand”, 20 April 2018 https://www.lovenewzealand.net.nz/maori/history.php
•
Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. “1. – Ahuwhenua – Māori Land and Agriculture – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.” Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Ministry for
Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga, 6 Oct. 2016, teara.govt.nz/en/ahuwhenua-maori-land-and-agriculture/page-1.
• “Kai - Traditional Māori Food.” TNZ Media, media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/kai-traditional-maori-food/.
• “Māori Culture.” Māori Culture | New Zealand Now, www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/living-in-nz/settling-in/maori-culture.
• Whitmore, Robbie. The Maori - New Zealand in History, history-nz.org/maori.html.
• Simon Whistler. Top 10 TERRIFYING Facts About MAORI WARRIORS. “TopTenz” | Youtube. 8 Nov. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-5-1ffAe9w
• Top 5 Maori Gods. “All Top 5s” | Youtube. 26 Jan. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0njPG_tOlzI
• “Maori News and Analysis on Intercontinental Cry.” Intercontinental Cry, IC, intercontinentalcry.org/indigenous-peoples/maori/.
• Historical Notes on Vietnam War Resisters in Canada, www.vcn.bc.ca/~celtic3/t-dress.htm.
