maori culture

[beba]

Hi!
I thought that Maori were the first people in New Zealand.Somebody told me that is not the truth.So,I'm confused,where actually they come from?!
By the way,can somebody tell me anything how it looks like to be in bicultural marriage,for instance,Maori-Croatian marriage...
Waiting for your answers,questions and discussion...
Beba

[KATNZ]

Hey B,

No, apparently the Maori were not the first people in NZ, the Moriori were, they were polynesian too and found NZ much the same way as the Maori did, in their waka's (canoes) being guided by the stars. Back in those days Maori were cannibals, they fought, ate and chased the Moriori off NZ to the Chatham Islands, where they eventually died out.

Hope this helps yah buddy!

Kat

[AngussR33]

Hey guys,
How are you today? I have just joined or signed up and would like to add something to this topic.
As far as I am aware the Maori and Moriori arrived basically at the same time!
I am not too sure but I think the Maori landed on the South Island and the Moriori landed on the North (near the Gisbourne area I think).
Anyway there are heaps of stories but I think that the Maori were stronger in numbers and that is why they dominated NZ and are believed to be here first!!!
Anyway I so could be wrong but I just thought that I would put my little say in.

Regards
AngussR33.

[Cam_NZ]

Hi dudes and dudets
ive been reading some of the posts and it seems most of you guys are misinformed. There is huge debate about who came to NZ first >> Was it the Moari or the Moriori<<. HOPEFULLY i can shed some light on the issue. Moriori were not the first people to arrive in NZ, some peeps even speculate that vikings were the first!!!. I watched a (inside NZ) documentary that discussed this whole issue and all the scientists, anthrapoligists, DNA and other forensic professionals concluded that the Moriori are the Maori. They are one in the same, i further researched their claims and its said that when the Maori were travelling to NZ, one of the ships ran astray and ended up on the chatams, isolation and the harsh climate along with 800yrs of seperation from the mainland, helped shape an entirely new culture. One university proffessor teaches his class that the moriori were invented by this dude (cant remember his name) so that colonists would not feel bad about what they were doing to the Maori this was on the 6 oclock news and apparently his story holds true. Well ive talked to much as it is, but for more info i urge u to go and visit this site it explains it all a bit beta, http://www.geocities.com/the_third_e...02/Moriori.htm
just copy and paste it into your address bar
bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kindee]

Kia Kaha Cam_NZ, It is very pleasing to see someone who has an understanding of Maori tikanga and history set the record straight. People may ask why Maori don't flood the chat rooms with precious info about their culture and tikanga, well the information is regarded as taonga (treasure) and is not something to be casually shared, this is in respect for the knowledge within information that has been past on for generations and is also often found in carvings. Like any precious family heir loom, you would cherish it and let others see it/experience it if you know them well and trust them. The Moriori myth is very much alive and well, Many believe that the Moriori were a seperate people/ethnicity and it perpetuates a view of "Well the Maori killed off all of the Maoriori, so they can't talk about Pakeha killing them in the past". In history around the world there are probably many situations where there were clashes of cultures with suffering. Perhaps looking back at those clashes within one's own country/culture allows us to explore ways of addressing wrongs of the past and healing for the present with an eye on bicultural respect for each other in the future.
What are others thoughts?

[Cam_NZ]

hey dudes >> i had posted a reply before but did not state the names of the late victorian writers who created the myth of the Moriori>> so after a bit of research here they are at >>
http://www.culture.co.nz/moriori/moriori3.htm

below is a small extract from that page>>

"New Zealand Herald (10/08/85 page 8 section 2).
The fiction of the Moriori as the peaceful indigenous people of New Zealand, forced out of the Chatham Islands by the incoming Maoris was created about a hundred years ago. It was discredited more than 60 years ago, but as you can see, many people still believe in it today. It was the creation of late Victorian writers such as Percy Smith and Elston Best who were trying to explain the origins of Maori on the basis of Whakapapa and canoe myths."

KA KITE

[Prowd_Keewee]

Hey Beba,

You ask what it is like to have a bi cultural marrige in New Zealand.

There are alot of Maori - Euro Marriges that take place in New Zealand and almost everyone thinks nothing of them. In fact i would say that about half of all maori people if not more are with Europeans as partners.

I am the son of a Maori Father and a European Mother and i have seen sooo many other people that have the same situation as me. The problem is identifying yourself as a Maori or a Pakeha. I prefer to just call myself a KIWI!

Regards
Aaron

Tamarikima1@hotmail.com

[Kimba]

I am also not of this country have interest in origins of first peoples of new zeeland. I am to believe their were people of this lands for 2000yrs or more.the early peoples were nomadic and hunted plenty of the moa and fishes and birds.they were relitively of peace and played a sport that keeps the peaceit was I am told a game that involved using a ki (this pronounced like 'key' )which is a flaxx ball, the whole game was played on a circular pitch field with a big stone in the centre. peoples would not fight they would play this game instead maybe for the whole day or until their anger was gone then the peoples would eat lots of food and mixin together socially.Im not sure of the spelling perhaps ki-o-rahi is correct and this was an important part of early n.z. tribes. much later i told by 900AD to 1300AD peoples from samoa, fiji, rarotonga come in big canoes called wakka with war on their minds and the peaceful people called moa hunters give up their peaceful way of solving problems to fight to exist. From this mix come the maori peoples. the white europeans then came and the mixin continues with peoples called new zealanders and their game is now called rugby. I am to told that church people in many ways stopped maori from playing their old games and of living traditional ways. I hope some day maori people of the new zealanders will return to their speaking of maori, playing peaceful old game and living traditional ways of living. I leave you with kiora my friend!

[ManuRuka]

it is true the moahunters then islanders and them mixed to form maori race. moa huntrs used game kiorahi for peace and interesting to read the book called Song of Waitaha by mr. Barry Brailsford as he writes about the sad extinction fo the moahunters as they were killed in there circles of peace by the islanders who came in small nombers then big numbers which relates to the shape of the ancient kiorahi games fields being circular in shape. It is also said that where peace still was elected by the tribes the game of kiorahi was continued and in isolated pockets right up until the arrival of the british missionary christians who then desired for Maori to give it up so the game kiorahi exists in legends like legend of Rahi and only a very few select minds to this day

[mandyhug]

ok i had a word to the elders at my marae, and they tell me that a few tribes were cannibals.
i also found some stuff on the net and at the library! i had to check MY facts before adding my 10 cents worth.
also kindee lol at you! what is this bollocks about culture being taonga? the whole Maori culture is based on sharing and embrasing culture. you had better check YOUR facts! i mean how do you explain all the Maori websites popping up every day?
oh yeah and the people that are pakeha/maori, just pick the one that feels the best. im pakeha/maori and so is my daughter, i love my maori roots and am very close to the marae. i picked just being a new zealander! its that simple.

[fyzykyl]

yeah from the info about this site their is alot of maori culture that is getting lost because lots of elder maori are choosing not to pass on their knowlage incase it gets ruined by integration into our dominant 'white' system. Lots of the maori sports get treated as second rate because the traditional sports empasise co-operation not competition, did maori have scoreboards? or keep these long stupid lists of times, distances etc? yet the maoris sports heloped them think laterally because the games were about creating and ingenuity that is why I think the maori people won so many battles against the british and the kupapa maori such as Tee arawa. How they won so many battles when they were outnumbered, out gunned etc by fulltime soldiers whereas the maori were all parttimers. The worm is turning now, the pakeha used 'lawful' legislation to deprive them of their heritage but now it appears maori are becoming more educated and are turning the screws on their oppressors which include the kupapa tribes such as Tee arawa who sold their souls by backing the british against true maori who fought for their lands and their culture.Their is alot of squirming now, but really it is just desserts, you eventually get back what you give and what you plant you sow...etc

[Paru_Kiore]

There are many myths about the first arrivals. Firstly is the myth that Moriori, Maori, Patupaiarehe, Waitaha, Maruiwi... were all separate races. This myth was started by those same early 19th century armchair ethnologists as mentioned in that Moriori article.

Now, the title Maori was coined in the treaty as reference to the aborigines of Aotearoa, this gave no division between these groups. It wasn't until 1845 that this term became fixed as a definition for those who were here before the coming of the Pakeha.

Later with the arrival of Smith, Best and co. they began to employ their 19th century view of ethnology to the Maori world, and came up with these theories (Moriori, Maori, Patupaiarehe, Waitaha, Maruiwi - separate races).

Along with this is the myth of the Great Fleet, still taught in some Pakeha circles today.

Much later these theories were dispelled as the myths they really were but were revived and added to by Brailsford and Doutre and co.

Although I do not doubt there are large elements of good research in Brailsfords Songs of Waitaha, the foundation of their research is from their predecessors whose research was largely flawed.

I also believe that Brailsford and the people of Waitaha (not the 'nation ' of Waitaha) are at odds now because of his misrepresentation of the information given to him in good trust that he would reproduce it without interpretation. The elders he once dealt with will have nothing more to do with him, and do not stand behind his findings in his book - yet he claims differently.

Tena koe ManuRuka, are you a Ruka from Waitaha?

PK

http://www.culture.co.nz/forum3/

[Paru_Kiore]

Cam_NZ

"They are one in the same, i further researched their claims and its said that when the Maori were travelling to NZ, one of the ships ran astray and ended up on the chatams..."

Actually they first arrived in the South Is. around Blehiem, then followed the Albotross flight to find the Chathams.

The reference to a ship running astray was actually the Pakeha ship the Brigg Chatham. It was blown off course on its way from NZ to Hawaii in 1791 and headed into the harbour at Rekohu for shelter.

Upon arriving in the harbour they then shot a few Moriori trying to welcome them, then Lt. William Broughton claimed the Rekohu and Wharekauri Islands for his king, George the III naming them after his ship, Chatham.

It took them 10 years to come back to Rekohu (Chathams) except this time they returned to rape the resources and people. This coupled with the deseases, Moriori were pushed beyond the point of recovery - at which point like many indigenous peoples, they turned to face the wall and die.

Much much later a war party of Ti ati awa was to arrive to put them to work in forced labour under the ever watchful eye of the Pakeha (who were to gain the most from this union). But the fate of Moriori was really seals some 20 years beforehand.

The concept that the race of Moriori has now become extinct, once again comes from the myths created by Best and Smith. Moriori were another set of hapu (subtribes) existing in Aotearoa. Same language group, same ancestors, similar culture to mainland, (to be expected where there was a 500 year separation from the mainlanders), same bone structure, skin complextions and I could go on...same people, and certainly not extinct like some animal, it took DNA research to finally expel these myths - yet the Brailsfords and Doutres of this world are still trying to push their revamped 19th century theories on us.

In fact any one who watched the millenium celebrations would have watched Moriori leading the world in Karakia - http://www.culture.co.nz/moriori/millenium.htm

Maori have recognised Moriori as tradition hapu groups...

PK

http://www.culture.co.nz/forum3/

[Ngeruita]

Good job Paru_' on your replies dispelling a lot of hoha put forward as fact.

Barry Brailsford incidently has not got the support of the Waitaha nation, I've seen letters to that effect and spoken to them. Very much the charlatan and new age guru wannabe that one.

There's a 'new' breed of 're-interpreters' of Maori history and identity he's one of many.