The Maori

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The Maori
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Arrival

• Several waves of migration came from Eastern
  Polynesia to New Zealand between AD 800 and 1300.

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• Maori oral history describes the arrival of
  ancestors from Hawaiki (a mythical homeland in
  tropical Polynesia) in large ocean-going canoes.

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Origins

• Most Pacific populations originated in Taiwan
  around 5,200 years ago

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• The ancestors of the Maori arrived in a forested
  land which featured abundant birdlife, including
  the now extinct Moa species and the giant Haasts
  Eagle which preyed upon the moa.

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• As Maori continued in geographic isolation,
  performing arts such as the haka traditional
  dance developed from their Polynesian roots, as
  did carving and weaving.

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Maori Art
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Tatoos
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MAORI TATTOO
Instead of needles, the Maori people used knives
and chisels (uhi), either smooth or serrated, and
the ink was applied by means of incisions. The
uhi was made from an albatross bone. The black
fill was derived from burnt wood.

• 
  

Maori tattooing would usually start at
adolescence, and was used to celebrate important
events throughout life. The first tattoo marks
the transition from childhood to adulthood and
was done during a series of rites and rituals.
People without tattoos were considered to be
without status or worth. Maori tattoos were
meant to be more than decorative they were a
show of strength, courage and status. (it is an
insult for other races to wear these!)
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Myths
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European contact

• European settlement of New Zealand occurred in
  relatively recent historical times.
• By 1830, estimates placed the number of Europeans
  living among the Maori as high as 2,000.
• European New Zealanders are referred to as Pakeha

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The Musket Wars

• During the period from 1805 to 1840 the
  acquisition of muskets upset the balance of power
  among Maori tribes, leading to a period of bloody
  inter-tribal warfare, known as the Musket Wars

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Population dropping

• European diseases such as influenza and measles
  also killed an unknown number of Maori estimates
  vary between ten and fifty per cent.

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British involvement

• With increasing Christian missionary activity,
  growing European settlement and the perceived
  lawlessness of Europeans in New Zealand, the
  British Crown, as a world power, came under
  pressure to intervene
• Queen Victoria annexed New Zealand by royal
  proclamation in January 1840.

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Treaty of Waitangi

• The British negotiated the Treaty of Waitangi
  with northern chiefs. Other Maori chiefs
  subsequently signed this treaty.
• But, in the end, only 500 chiefs out of the 1500
  sub-tribes of New Zealand signed the Treaty

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Only a minority sign

• Some influential chiefs such as Te Wherwhero in
  Waikato, and Te Kani-a-Takirau from the east
  coast of the North Island refused to sign

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• The treaty made the Maori British subjects in
  return for a guarantee of Maori property-rights
  and tribal autonomy
• Dispute continues over whether the Treaty of
  Waitangi ceded Maori sovereignty. Maori chiefs
  signed a Maori-language version of the Treaty
  that did not accurately reflect the
  English-language version.

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The Land Wars

• In the 1860s, Maori disputes to land dealings
  were viewed as a challenge to the British system
  of royalty and led to the New Zealand Land Wars.
• The colonial government confiscated large tracts
  of tribal land as punishment for what they called
  rebellion in some cases taking land even from
  tribes which had taken no part in the war.

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The Land Court

• The Native Land Acts of 1862 and 1865 set up the
  Native Land Court, which had the purpose of
  breaking down communal ownership and facilitating
  the taking of land. As a result, between 1840 and
  1890 Maori lost 95 per cent of their land.

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Population declines

• In 1840, New Zealand had a Maori population of
  about 100,000 and only about 2,000 Europeans.
• By the end of the 19th century, the Maori
  population had declined to 42,113 (according to
  the 1896 census) and Europeans numbered more than
  700,000.

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Survival

• The decline of the Maori population did not
  continue instead levels recovered.
• Many Maori retained their cultural identity.

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MAORI TODAY

• Recently the New Zealand government negotiated
  with the Maori to provide redress for its
  failures to honour the Treaty of Waitangi.
• As of 2006 the government had provided over
  NZ900 million in settlements, much of it in the
  form of land deals.

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Maori Party leaders

• In the New Zealand electoral system 10 of the
  seats are reserved for Maori
• This controversial system may be abolished in
  2014 when all the treaty settlements have been
  resolved.