Pre-1840 Maori/Pakeha Relations

1
Pre-1840 Maori/Pakeha Relations

• Part 1

2
Summary of Influences

• Pakeha attitudes of superiority
• Marked difference between societies and cultures
• Based on economics exchange, trade and
  exploitation
• Maori choices about interaction and relationship
  with Pakeha were important
• Increasing European presence after 1830s

3
Basic Race Relations

• Two Views
• 1. Eurocentric Europeans considered other races
  inferior,
• 2. Balanced Modern view
• that mutual understanding
• may be limited, hence
• mutual influence and
• learning from each other.

4
First Culture Contact

• James Cook 1769-1777 barter and exchange
• Both tried force at times but that worked against
  trade
• Early visits were irregular
• Which led to competition amongst Maori for
  European goods.

5
Regular contact

• Early Pakeha escaped convicts and runaway sailors
• Sudney entrepreneurs and traders
• More frequent after 1800 whalers sealers
  timber
• Maori visited Sydney after 1805
• Missionaries and trade after 1814

6
Intentions

• Maori willing to adopt and adapt
• Maori attitudes depended on intentions of vistors
• Direct interaction on ships or going overseas
  sudden change
• Indirect interaction by Maori or Maori-Pakeha
  which led to more controlled change and easier to
  cope with.

7
Trade

• Maori
• Food, women, labour, artifacts, knowledge, NZ
  travel, protection,timber, flax, land.
• Europeans
• Metal, muskets, boats, overseas travel, new
  crops, clothing, alcohol, tobaccao,literacy,
  religion

8
Choice and Negotiation

• Interaction and change involved Choice and
  Negotiation
• Maori- because of strength and
• self-confidence in their culture
• European- assumptions of
• superiority and profit motive

9
Dominance 1800-1840

• European visitors and Pakeha assumed dominance of
  their own culture
• In practice Maori dominant up until 1840s
• - outnumbered Pakeha until 1850s
• Desire for dominance led to conflict
• Desire for trade controlled
• agression on both sides

10
Types of Conflict

• Maori travellers often ill-treated on ships
• - saw British culture
• Early European travellers and sojourners
• - Sealers
• - whalers
• - traders
• - Pakeha Maori
• - Maori women/wives

11
Mana

• Europeans seen as good for mana
• - derived from presence of Europeans
• - Maori control over Europeans
• - Access to Europeans trade goods

12
Muskets

• 1810 Maori scrambled for muskets
• from Europeans
• Musket wars spread in 1820s-30s
• Caused Maori migration to avoid attack
• Greater destruction than traditional weapons
• Musket did not respect rank
• Traditional weapons still used dense bush and
  hand-to-hand fighting

13
Hongi Hika

• Nga Puhi
• Defeat of Nga Puhi by Ngati Whaua in 1810 gave
  Hongi Hika desire for utu
• Sought European contact from 1814
• First major leader to use muskets
• Used slaves to cultivate potatos to trade for
  muskets
• 1820 traded gifts from England for muskets in
  Sydney
• 1821-23 led many campaigns until death in 1828

14
Te Rauparaha

• Ngati Toa and Ngati Raukawa Decent
• Outstanding leader of his people
• Threatened by Waikato tribes in late 18th-early
  19th C
• Ventured from Hauraki Gulf to Taranaki and Cook
  Strait.
• By 1819 was using muskets
• In 1820 under pressure from Waikato, left
  migration to Taranaki and then Kapiti.

15
Te Rauparaha contd

• Set up base in Kapiti
• Used slavs to build flax plantations and traded
  with Europeans for muskets
• Abt. 1827 began series of raids on South Island
  to gain Pounamu
• 1830s consolidated hold on central North Island,
  southern North Island and northern South Island

16
New Balance of Power

• Eventually all tribes had muskets
• By 1830s new balance of tribal power based on
  muskets rather than traditional weapons
• Conflict continued through 1830s but
• Destruction less than during 1820s

17
References

• Based on Graham Langton, (2005) Pre-1840
  Maori/Pakeha Relations in Year 13 New Zealand
  in the 19th Century. Auckland ESA Publications.
  pp.43-54