The earliest ancestors of present day Maori arrived on New Zealand by canoe, in approximately the 8th century AD, from the Polynesian islands of the South Pacific. It is difficult to know from exactly which group of islands they came but they were completing a centuries old mission of conquering the Pacific Ocean and all that lay within it and New Zealand (Aotearoa as it was first called) represented their final discovery. Originally these Polynesian explorers had travelled from South East Asia across the chain of islands to Papua New Guinea and on to the Cooks, Marquesas and as high up as Hawaii and as east as Rapanui. They had colonised the otherwise uninhabited islands they'd come across, forming civilisations and individual cultures derived from the motherland of Hawaiki. When they discovered Aotearoa (land of the small, white cloud- so named because it was a small cloud hovering over the land that they saw from their canoe that indicated to them they were almost there). They had never encountered such a large continent and so much colder than the tropical islands they were used to. They would have to adapt. They'd brought with them the customary mulberry plant, bananas, coconut palms and kumara (sweet potato) but most of these crops could not survive in the colder parts of the country. They settled around the coastal regions as the land there was more fertile and easier to cultivate than the uplands and there was plenty of food to be had from the seals on the shoreline, fish in the sea and an abundance of large birds. New Zealand had been, up until that point, isolated from the evolution of land mammals which had been occuring in other parts of the globe and the lack of any large predators meant that bird species such as the flightless Moa (bigger than an ostrich) and the giant eagle, it's only predator, had been allowed to dominate. The settlers brought with them dogs that ravaged the delicate bird ecosystem and, what with extensive culling by early hunters, the Moa and the eagle were extinct within a couple of centuries. Early Maori had no direct experience of the land formations they were faced with, the mountains and volcanoes and so, to make sense of it all to themselves, they invented stories to explain their origins. Traditionally, in Polynesian culture, man is connected distinctly to nature and the earth he lives on and the sky he lives under so it was fitting to give these things human identities. The beginnings of the earth are explained thus: the sky, Rangi, was the father and the earth, Papa, was the mother whose children fought to break them apart. Eventually the son Tane Mahuta, tree god, forced his roots into the earth and his branches up to the sky breaking them up, therefore creating the separate worlds of demi gods and humans. Other myths were created to reason the existence of mountain ranges, taking the form of human gods and the fires of volcanoes were justified as the wrath of the gods. Ceremonies were performed in sacred (tapu) places within their pa (villages) to appease the ancestral gods, and much emphasis was placed on revering the past. The ancient ancestors were seen as demigods and the motherland from which they came was deemed as the heaven where all Maori souls will return after death. Aside from this association with Polynesia the Maori went on to form their very own distinct culture, much of which was demonstrated through powerful song and dance, illustrating the ancient myths and successfully passing on through the generations the stories that kept the culture alive. Extended family, or hapu, was always an important mainstay of the Maori and much emphasis was placed on hereditary claims to the obtaining of mana and rank. If you came from an important family you automatically had intense mana (pride and power). These hapus would form into tribes (iwis), bringing families together to unite against a threat from a neighbouring tribe for their land or other community issues. They took their names from the original wakas (canoes) which brought their ancestors, for example, Te Arawa iwi is of the canoe named Arawa. It was not until the 16th century when manufacture of greenstone chisels made it possible to develop the art of wood carving which subsequently was used extensively to symbolise the gods in their depiction on totem poles. Tattooing also became an art form at this time which represented fearlessness in the warrior, as the practise of tattooing on the face was both painful and drew much blood. Maori men, although 'ruled' by Rangatiri (kings) within their respective iwi were renowned for also being very strongwilled and would often stand up against the Rangatiri. Mana could be obtained this way also.
When the Pakeha (white people) arrived, in the 18th century, the Maori language, until then only verbal, was deciphered and a dictionary published, the leading Maori poets and storytellers lost no time in making sure all their great myths, legends, songs and dances were recorded for all time in written form. The Pakeha were very interested in researching the indigenous culture of their new country and the Maori were very keen to introduce them to it and proudly display it for all the world to witness. It was at this point that much more energy was plowed into the building of elaborate marae (meeting houses) and the traditions of the Maori culture were more greatly celebrated, as they are still today.
Maori Words
Kia Ora - Hello
Haere Mai - Welcome
Tangata Whenua - people of the land
Te Papa - our earth
Waka - canoe
Haka - famous war dance, as demonstrated by the New Zealand rugby team at the beginning of their matches. The widening of the eyes, the protrusion of the tongue and the slapping of the chest was meant to frighten the opposing tribe into surrendering before the battle had even begun.
Maui - life force- this is represented also in dance by the quick flickering of the hand. Maori believe that evrerything that moves has life force.
