Ki-o-Rahi game of New Zealand Maori

[steiny]

I am an American studying traditional games in New Zealand or as the indigenous Maori call their country – Aotearoa. One aspect of their history focuses on what we call football today. I will return to that later. It is important firstly to give a background to the Maori people.
There is evidence that a huge influx of islanders from central Pacific Islands started arriving here in canoes (called waka) about 1000yrs ago whereupon they interbred with the people here called moa-hunters. Their primary food source was the moa. These birds varied from chicken sized to giant moa 11ft tall. The islanders and original inhabitants combined to form the Maori race. With regard to sports played these people lived (before the arrival of Europeans) in family groups, their word is hapu, of a few to many hundreds. Sports were developed in each hapu independently or a hybrid version created from other hapu ideas. Many hundreds of sports existed – it is obvious they loved playing games and as ethnographer Elsdon Best has commented this extended to playing sports in the midst of funerals! (called tangihanga here). The Maori had their own type of hula hoops, hang-gliders (yes actual kites that they bodily flew), they surfed on specially constructed boards, they had toboggans that these days would equate with snowboards, they had their own unique form of bowls which were small wheel shaped carved pieces of sandstone that they played on the flat, hard beach sands with, they used javelins that they threw at each other and caught or used for target practice, they ran huge distances with weighted packs made from flax, they had an absolute treasure chest of independently developed games including some board-type games as complicated as chess!
This creativity and adaption ability is the reason why the British found it so hard to subdue the Maori and eventually signed a mutual peace treaty with them called Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Time and again in the New Zealand Wars as historian Bellich states when the British had superiority in numbers of soldiers, armaments and tactical positions they would get defeated by the Maori who could not fight fulltime like the British soldiers because they had to get back home to tend crops and hunt for food – therefore their most deadly weapons were their minds. An example is the fighting at Pukahinahina or Gate Pa in 1864. Over 1700 of the best fighting men Britain could muster, all well armed with the latest rifles and heavy field guns and fully provisioned, were matched against only 200 Maori who were not well armed (it is reasoned that only ¼ of their old-type rifles were battle worthy!), the Maori were on severe rationing, and over 50 of them were at the relative age that we would now call “pensioner age”. The Maori were however so confident they even built a wide road to make access easier for the British elite soldiers! Needless to say because of their superior critical thinking powers that transferred to their fighting ability they soundly defeated the British who were at that time the superpower of the world! Understandably this battle has been claimed by many renowned historians to be the classic encounter of ‘Intelligence vs. Technology’!
The perceptions of the West at that time of Maori were of a rabble of natives who ran around in grass skirts! The defeat of the British at Gate Pa caused reverberations around the world. The soldiers used were the best the British had – these elite had been the only soldiers ever to defeat the courageous Ghurkhas in India. It is understandable from this early description of Maori fighting prowess that much later in WW2 Rommel stated that if he had 3 Maori divisions he would rule the world!
Because of the dominant position the British people felt they had in the world at that time due to their unstoppable murderous conquering rampages in foreign lands around the world, they somehow perceived by believing their own propaganda that they were ‘racially superior and high thinkers’ and therefore they invented many excuses for this defeat and the many others at the hands of the Maori, infact this trend persists even today with more and more ridiculous assertions. The British at the time of the defeat quickly and voluminously printed off repudiations on their all-powerful printing presses that rejected the superb Maori abilities. The whole Gate Pa site was ploughed in by the British and dominant discourses invented to disclaim such a sound defeat. The truth here has won out and after over 140yrs and it is finally being recognised in schools that the British were far inferior to the Maori in the ability to critically think. Infact the whole history here of suppressing Maori achievements is finally being reviewed. Many people are now celebrating 29th April as a great historical day. Maori are the only indigenous people not to be defeated by a colonial power and their intellect is the vital element that has sustained them during the 2 centuries of oppressive legislation heaped on them by the pakeha (their term for white people).
This leads on to the sport here known as Ki-o-Rahi. Maori people did not have a written language as such before the arrival of colonisation of the Europeans. They record much of their knowledge through genealogies (called whakapapa) and fact-based legends (called pakiwaitara). All of their sports activities have legends and for Ki-o-Rahi this is the story of Rahi which follows.

THE LEGEND OF RAHI
As the beautiful Ti Ara tended her tribal gardens she was abducted by a posse of underworld dwelling patupaiarehe who then cast a spell making the bush behind them impenetrable. Her screams alerted her whanau who vainly attempted rescue through the forested barriers. However Rahi, her resourceful husband, was undeterred and with the help of his tribes-people built a large kite, manu tangata. For provisions he gathered several ki, small round-chorded kete filled with a single moa egg, and tied them onto the supports of his kite. After patient karakia he was launched on a favourable wind that carried him high above the enchanted bush. In flight Rahi struck turbulence that caused several of his ki to unravel and by chance fall into the eaglet filled nest of the treetop-dwelling giant eagle called Namu. This fluke, the feeding of Namu’s offspring, was to be a crucial stroke of luck. He drifted safely onto enormous red-tipped ponga fronds whereupon he gorged ki, attached some about him, then hurriedly descended and proceeded to track his wife’s abductors. As she was forced along Ti Ara had thoughtfully bent back the ends of fern fronds to reveal their shiny silver underside, which guided Rahi in his pursuit.
Though still well ahead the patupaiarehe soon sensed Rahi’s audacious presence and cast another powerful spell. This invocation caused a second sun to hover in the sky above! It burned fiercely with ten times the radiance of Ra. Immediately the immense canopies of bush that enshrouded Rahi were scorched. Then the entire plateau of bush crumbled and flaked, and cascaded like brown snowflakes onto the ground. Rahi was awestruck and became transfixed knee deep in the litter. Yet his body and everything upon it remained unscathed! He turned shocked at the complete devastation about him as great sheets of mist sucked out of the ground continued to rise momentarily and then evaporate fizzing in the intense heat. He witnessed rocks fracturing and refracturing like snapping branches until they became piles of pebbles that melted into mounds of sand. Simultaneously in the distance a horizon-wide shimmering wall hundreds of metres high raced towards him! He hugged papatuanuku as the powerful wind driven furnace blasted its way through, gathering everything in its path, and leaving in its wake a vast scorching desert.
This time the effect on Rahi was devastating. He quickly became parched and attempted to drink the moa egg from a ki but found instead an inedible rubbery core. He then wandered about aimlessly looking for water to quench his deep maddening thirst and for shade to stop his skin blistering in the molten heat. Rahi’s sight blurred and his body bowed - he crouched between his last two ki and lamented his inability to rescue his darling Ti Ara. He recited loving waiata and karakia to her vision and then drifted into darkness.


As he opened his eyes he heard from within a calling that he knew was from his Tupuna – he had joined them! When he came-to properly however the pain flooded back into his body and begged for release! Somehow he held on and through barely opened eyelids he noticed in the haze a bright yellow pounamu calling him intimately not four steps distant! The rock was his Tupuna and it called for his mauri as it too was suffering. Rahi managed with great effort from his prone position to lob a ki, which contained his mauri, to his tupuna where upon contact a small patch of green appeared– this indication of life spurred Rahi on and he reached the rock, touched it and felt its reciprocal surge of energy. From out of the ether the giant eagle Namu appeared, it perched on the rock and spread its shade giving wings, and dribbled precious water and tiny fish from its massive beak onto the upturned face of Rahi. They exchanged silent greetings.
No sooner was life getting better for Rahi, and the rock had turned a brilliant green, than a gargantuan lizard appeared out of the haze thrashing at the sand with its massive tail in a scything motion which caused a huge billowing dustbowl as it circled round and round the trio. A deep circular canyon was formed that filled quickly with spring water to become a lake. Rahi was ecstatic and dragged himself to the waters edge and into its cold embrace. Suddenly an inner warning told him to leave this respite and within moments of doing so a large submerged shadow churned the surface as it passed. The lizard had turned into the taniwha called Utumai – preventing Rahi from leaving the island!
In unison both suns then disappeared bringing forth a bitter cold night. Even Namu could no longer fly as the chill pierced her feathers and froze her body. The trio huddled together whilst Rahi for some inexplicable reason looked heavenward for a sign - at that exact moment, high up on their maunga, Rahi’s father, Eru, was catching his breath and casting onto the prevailing wind a handful of ‘dancing-dappled-light’ essence that he had collected from the pool in their sacred cave. The airstream took the stardust higher and higher, forming three brightly aligned stars in the night sky before Rahi’s eyes! Although suffering frostbite and fatigue Rahi stood tall and peered about the lake and spied in-line with the stars an ice pathway from island to shore!
Lifting his frozen friend Namu and farewelling his Tupuna he lost no time in shuffling across the ice causeway. When Rahi had nearly across the arahuka, the great taniwha surfaced at some distance. In a rage it arched its neck backwards and catapulted its huge head forward, this wrenched its razor sharp teeth loose, and they whistled through the air and struck the ice explosively about Rahi and Namu but failed to halt their progress.

Utumai then shuddered and slid lifeless into the roto. The sun then appeared in a friendly manner and warmed them both so that Namu could fly home. Shortly Rahi’s people arrived and they all headed towards the mountains where Ti Ara’s abductors were known to live.
Some days later they arrived at the large entrance to the patupaiarehe cave. While some shouted threats into the papatomo, Rahi led others to block up all the steampools and fissure vents that covered the thermal mountain. Presently steam billowed from the cave entrance and a multitude of patupaiarehe streamed out in disarray. Ti Ara also emerged to the joy of her hapu but their reunion was brief, as everyone on feeling the mountain shake and hearing the terrible rumblings, was running for their lives! Rahi and Ti Ara were continually ushered on as they embraced.
The spell maker who assisted in the abduction, Te Puhuru, stayed inside the confines of his domain. The next day cataclysmic explosions obliterated the entire mountain and the shockwaves were so great they blasted massive rock slabs into space, one of which had within its cavity Te Puhuru - released of worldly constraints it is said his mischief now plagues the heavens!
Both tribes headed in the direction of the roto where Rahi had been trapped and congregated there too exhausted to argue or fight. Compassion prevailed and for days they feasted together on the sweet meat of the great taniwha and talked. It was on these shores that a combined tribal council created tikanga for the purpose of eradicating warfare between them forever! They devised a game initiative, centred on the memory of Rahi’s pursuit, with hakari as the nexus for resolving conflicts. Everyone celebrated this peaceful process by wearing carved pendants around their necks to represent the Tupuna rock. For generations people would gaze across the lake to the prominent pounamu rock on the motu and recount the story of their ancestors’ peace legacy. The game of Ki-o-Rahi, based on “feeding” the centre rock, duly sustained peaceful interactions amongst hapu.
One night a thick blanket of fog softly caressed their ropu, and by late morning it had wispily lifted to the trilling accompaniment of the great eagles to reveal the distant motu serene and bare. In this way, legend has it; the essence of peace is transported to other parts of Aotearoa.

(Written by Temepara Hemana from korero with kaumatua Tira Mohi, Ngati Raukawa / Mahana).


This delightful story is often recited, in the Maori language or in English, at occasions when the sport is played. The connections of the legends and the particular sport always remain strong! Protocols, or as the Maori calls it tikanga, related to the games history have evolved.

The Game of Ki-o-Rahi
This indigenous game is a very fast full-on contact game. Therefore it is very physical. It is an open flowing game where players can run with the ball, Maori call it a ki, they can also pass the ball, they can tackle the ball carrier and have two scoring moves 1) by contacting the ball onto the central target 2) by scoring by placing the ball on the ground within a central circle called a kahaaraiti. Of note is the fact, unique in the world in full contact sports, that men and women play together – no sexism here! The pre-Maori peoples used the game as a peacekeeping tool between the nomad tribes. The islanders used warfare to solve disputes so Ki-o-Rahi went underground – pockets of peaceful tribes kept the game alive and an offshoot was the poi ball. To remember their game and overcome the islanders dislike and banishment of it the moa hunters tied flax string to the ki-ball and swung it around in their dances to remind them of the peacekeeping game played on a circular pitch. This was much liked by the islanders and when the two peoples eventually merged the poi-ball was an integral part of the new Maori culture. Although warfare became the dominant means for control the game of Ki-o-Rahi still existed as a very minor sport of Aotearoa. When the British colonisers first arrived it is recorded that they took part in some Ki-o-Rahi matches with the locals. The missionaries arrived nearly as soon as the first settlers and it is they who nearly sounded the death knell for Ki-o-Rahi from the beginning of the 1800’s. Their dogma swept through the country and they used all means to dispossess the Maori of all the activities they did as they regarded Maori and their activities as unclean and ungodly – ‘they must worship and nothing else’ was the missionaries message! Maori generously changed their practices and way of life to accommodate the pakeha new comers. Many wanted to trade and take advantage of pakeha opportunities. They therefore forsook many of their games and sports pursuits. However some of the earliest British settlers who returned to Britain incorporated the open flowing Maori game into their mob game. Rather than say they were playing a ‘backward rabbles’ game the academics created the fiction that the game was invented at Rugby public school – hence the name ‘rugby’ emerged. The British had covered their tracks well with a common persuasive discourse which was written into texts of the games invention but it has been well documented now of the absolute fiction of this. Later in the second half of the 19th century when the superpower British were getting defeated continually as they tried to steal land off the Maori in Taranaki and Waikato the game of Ki-o-Rahi was emerging across the other side of the world in Britain wrapped up in new packaging and called rugby – to further disguise their appropriation of the Maori game the British changed the ball to an oval shape. As an aside the British mob game had evolved from the Roman ballgames. Irish returnees from Aotearoa (New Zealand) however actually kept the round ball in their version of the open flowing Ki-o-Rahi game in their Gaelic football. This they then took to Australia where it evolved into Aussie Rules. The rugby game was taken to America where it evolved into American football. In England rugby evolved into rugby league. Ballgames have developed independently throughout the world with the Chinese having their own version also as do the Aztecs and Maya of South America. There is proof to suppose that the Maori game may have actually originated from the S.America version but that is still under research but anyone interested could contact the Mormon Church who have more information on this facet of Ki-o-Rahi history.
If you have further info on traditional Maori sports or would like to comment on this historical outline please e-mail me at newyorkusa911@yahoo.co.nz.

[fyzykyl]

Hey thanks man that is a really beautiful legend! i think that NZhistory is quite revealing, things are not as they are generally written and I enjoyed the lesson!

[spaade]

could be a lady writer too right? Great stuff but I would question why we need Americans researching things like this isnt there money in our country to do this and what about the tribes that have those huge payouts arent they going to "right the wrongs" by investing in their own history, I mean wont their history get tainted by the American outlook on things???????? Im not worried but aren't they????????

[steiny]

kia ora to you all, it is true that as an American I can be seen to be 'taking' far more than I could ever hope to give back, but in Aotearoa at the moment for better or for worse as the saying goes, the emphasis by Maori on their vast sporting traditions is not a priority - Te Reo obviously dominates. There are many reasons for this 1) the Maori prefer the Pakeha sports - the common term is that many Maori have been "Pakeharized" 2) there is not enough common knowledge about the old sports about 3)the sports are unique in many cases to specific Iwi but more commonly to a particular Hapu even 4)Unfortunately sport is seen by many elders as belonging to the domain of the young ones and it is hard to rekindle participation again 5) again unfortunately there is are alot of social habits that inhibit reclaimation of Maori hakinakina - apathy, subatance abuse, violence (which is far easier to do in the Pakeha sports), self-hate by many Maori...6)there is a lack of funding for the teachers of the old sports to spread their knowledge 7)Maori in positions of power are only worried about "digging into the public troughs" - they only care about today and not the benefits of the future by introducing the old games back into schools etc 8)Apathy - because there are not many practitioners of old sports and because the information is not "on desktop" many Iwi authorities go with easier options - they are not creative and innovative which is a travesty to future generations of Maori (and New Zealanders!)...the reasons are many so from the above you can see the importance of research being done even by a "Yank" so that with the shared info in the future implementation can be forthcoming when significant Maori leadership prevails.

[Angel_Fire]

Awesome Story! Someday I want to leave texas and go to NZ.. Just because i think Texas stinks... ^_^

[BjornAgain]

Hello to you Stieny, this is an amazing revelation to me to read about maori people likethis I will admit to thinking of them as much as u describe they were thought of. With your eloquent writing I feel I am now understanding more about where maori people in new zealand are coming from. Are there maori people in other parts of the world? they must be a very proud people with a history so strong yet it seems to get drowned out by "white" versions and our other tactics to suppress any of the "dark" skinned races, for me i apologise for not realising this dominant ideology stuff.

[fyzykyl]

hi everyone am really getting interested in new zealand heritage, are their anymore fantastic pieces of nz history that could relate about the maori people? heard that so much was distorted by people such as percy smith and elsdon best, good to sight real nz history as related by maori.

[BjornAgain]

Yes 'fyzykyl' colonialism is a continuous process and as L. Smith has stated Maori knowledge is continually minimised, trivialised and subjugated. The bits that are permitted to stay intact have been repackaged into an acceptable product for colonists consumption, alot to do with dominant ideologies and Gramsci's views on assimilation of the "feared" into an integrated package that has been done so through pressures to bear, yet still holds the characteristics of the dominant ideology - whew quite a heavy view but when you look at the christianising of the entire marae processes such as tangihanga, hui and korero can see how commodification is happening steadily and without widespread concern by most Maori. I find it particularly amusing that recognition of Polynesian sailing skills has been minimised - the Maori had super "highways" from here to the islands all around the Pacific centuries before those "intrepid" sailors from Europe arrived, Maori had their own form of football, surfing was done all down the eastcoast again centuries before Cook arrived yet why the focus on an American colony ie. Hawaii - I think it may be tied in with the concept of being "first", Maori also had their own forms of hang-gliders that preceeded Cook - known as manu tangata and ofcourse it is common knowledge only 2 civilisations originated kite flying - Maori and Chinese! I could go on as this is really interesting to me, especially the area of sports minimisation.Do you know where the hula-hoop, snow board' snow shoes, beach bowls, were independantly "invented"? Long distance running was a norm - see Houtaewa's run of 60 miles is still commemorated and entire waka race circumnavigations of the North Island were common (and thought nothing of)- see the "short-cut" well marked with a plaque at Otahuhu between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours? Huge hakari were staged that celebrated Mahi-a -Rongo, that was real participation with 5 -10'000 people long before colonisation!So there is an avalanche of information 'fyzykyl' that needs to be recognised and appreciated!

[Paru_Kiore]

I saw a good discussion about this at http://www.culture.co.nz/forum3/viewthread.php?tid=29 which may help you a little.

[hills]

Well HI! to you all

I vow to write a compilation of these beautiful MAORI legends so all people can bathe in their glory, they tell us so much...

This Legend of Rahi and Ti Ara, the one about Hinemoa and one of the imitable Maui of course, any other suggestions from anyone for Maori top ten legends book? Kia ora Hillary

[Ngeruita]

Steiny: "the reasons are many so from the above you can see the importance of research being done even by a "Yank" so that with the shared info in the future implementation can be forthcoming when significant Maori leadership prevails. "

Well my long post timed out, didn't show, got lost to wherever - and I can't be bothered reposting it. So in short, Steiny it is not for Americans to suppose that they are the keepers or researchers of Maori culture and history. Representation of Maori culture - comes from Maori. There has been a long tendency for many whites to suppose that we need interpreters, messengers and go betweens. We do not.

By all means and enjoy your study, but please do not place yourself before authentic representation and resources, you are not qualified to do so. It serves to continue falsehoods and myths that have already been promulgated, eg the history synopsis you gave of Maori origins.

[hiri28]

Hi Ngeruita and to you all, it seems you have a problem with a researchers findings? I can't see any falsities in the general history background Stiney gave. If you think NZ was uninhabited when Kupe arrived how wrong can you be!

I would sooner an outsider came to record our history, especially as important as recreation/leisure so we have something tangible to pass on to future generations. These taonga are getting lost because iwi such as Tainui and others when they get there huge payouts are squandering them on such things as Warrior league instead of investing in our own sports/games/past times.

As our great academic Karetu has said Maori sports, because they intrinsically hold so much maori culture, should be as valued as our Reo and Wairua.

[Ngeruita]

hiri28: "Hi Ngeruita and to you all, it seems you have a problem with a researchers findings? I can't see any falsities in the general history background Stiney gave"

Then you need to do some homework. If you want to learn about Maori history - you're not going to get it from an American researcher. eg Maori came over about a 1000 years ago harks back to the 'great New Zealand myth'. This treasure our history, is our responsiblity, rightly so, as the history of Pakeha/White historians treatment of the history of New Zealand is one stepped in ignorance, bias, agenda, propaganda, racism at worst. At best overseas 'do gooders' thinking they are some special messanger or go-between to get the 'truth' out there.

Over the old aotearoalive.forum we had a Pakeha NZer convinced of the truthfulness of the 'New Zealand" Maori history...this is a repost that gives you an overview of some of the major myths put out there.

Pakeha myth makers

History according to the likes of Smee can not be 'rewritten' such an assumption implies that whatever has been written regarding MÄori history is incontrovertible. Or that Pakeha historians have basically got it right and what is given by Pakeha historians is 'true' or at least as Smee implies truer than what MÄori people themselves can tell. Well lets take a look at this great NZ history eh?

On MÄori origins alone such a notion shows a complete ignorance of the many opposing theories put out by our 'founding fathers' of New Zealand history. Not to mention a complete ignorance of the flaws inherent in the various practices early ethnographers used to research, collect and write up that data, as well the influence of their personal prejudices or their tendency to edit information to fit their personal theories. Add to that a tendency of all to assume there is 'one' MÄori history, that we MÄori are one race or one people and therefore collecting the history of a few iwi supposedly tells the history of all; which assumption is easily disproved by simply listening to the histories of other iwi.

So lets look at a few of this incontrovertible history of 'New Zealand'. Firstly there have been various origin theories that Pakeha have put out over the years:

-Until Darwin's "The origin of species" of 1859 - the Book of Genesis provided the origin of man. In 1644, a Dr Lightfoot, Chancellor of Cambridge University even claimed that mankind was created at 9am on 12 Sept 3928 BC. 6 years later Archbisoph Ussher gave the date as 23 Oct 4004 BC. The races of man were said to have descended from the sons of Noah; from Shem, Japheth and Ham. When new races were discovered in the New World they were fitted into this classification. Black or primitives were considered to be descended from Ham, lighter hue from Shem for example the Indians and us Polynesians. Those who favoured this notion tended to develop theories, which plotted Polynesian migration by land and sea from the Middle East.

Most Christian theologians believed that Polynesians and other heathens degenerated from a state of civilization. You will note that the sliding scale of superiority or 'civilisation' was determined on the criteria of likeness (superior, civilised etc) to lack of likeness (inferior, primitive etc) to Whites. (= pakeha mindset; tui-eyed)

Sometimes the Christian theologians would disagree as which Biblical lineage MÄori were descended from. After meeting chiefs in Sydney Reverend Samuel Marsden was impressed by their proud demeanour, their intelligence, and their enterprise. He concluded MÄori were of Semitic origin and had dispersed from some dispersed Jews. Marsden argued this on the bases of biblical precedents. Finding numerous comparisons between Maori customs, especially those relating to warfare and those of the Jews in the Old Testament The commercial instinct of Maori they "have a great natural turn for traffic; they will buy and sell anything they have got."

J.L Nicholas thought the Maori had descended from people familiar with the Mosaic account of creation who having spent a period in India, had then degenerated. Finding also various common beliefs ie that the first woman was formed from the ribs of man, (?) and the custom of sprinkling children with water before naming them.

Semitic origins were espoused also by Craik, Marshall, FitzRoy, Polack, Dieffenbach, Munday and Anglican missionary Richard Taylor in "Te Ika a Maui" (1855.

After the 1870's scholars were giving Maori an Aryan rather than Semitic origins. I noticed that after the MÄori had trounced the Pakeha repeatedly in battle through a display of greater wit, ingenuity and skill despite being greatly outnumbered arguments of inferiority thereafter lost their impact. It was considered therefore that MÄori must in fact be some kind of 'white' man. Which would of course explain how the MÄori could defeat the White man although of course He was of a degenerate type all the same. "Brothers" that had fallen away; waiting to be recovered to their former civilised state by his white kin. Edward Treagar was the most notable proponent of this theory. I can't remember the title of his book off hand I think it was "The Aryan race" or something similar.

-Mormon missionaries in the late 19th Centuary and still today say MÄori are descended from American Indians who first landed in Hawaii in 58 B.C and were descended from the House of Israel through Joseph.

-18th Centuary Sir William Jones found an (bogus) affinity between Sanscrit and European languages like Greek and Latin - gave a great stimulus to comparative phiogy. To the 19th Centuary Franz Boppand the Grimm brothers worked to demonstrate the ramifications of the European branches of the Indo European branches of the Indo-European.

-Cook and Joseph Banks supposed Western origins from a Malaysian origin. Likewise J. R Forster put forward the notion Maori island hopped from Malaya - and absorbed an Aboriginal people. Forster who replaced Banks categorised pacific people into Melanesians; dark skinned small framed and Polynesian as handsome, lighter coloured, large limbed of the Eastern Pacific.

-J.F. Blumenback in his original edition of the "Natural varieties of Mankind (1775) divided mankind into four races: Caucasian, Asiatic, American and Ethiopian. In the second edition 1781 a 5th race Malays was added which included Polynesians. In the 3rd edition of 1795 graded the races - the primeval race was the Caucasians the last place given to Ehtiopians - Malays put in between. It was considered at that time that the more ancient race was superior over others.

I got taught something similar in primary to intermediate school except Ethiopian was renamed 'negroid' and Caucasian were given as the latest development in human race, hence superior. The influence of Darwin I suspect reversed the birth order of the races.

-Lieutenant Crozet who took over from Marion du Fresne killed in 1772 argued that Maori were composed of three races: "true aborigines" with a yellowish-white skin, tall stature and straight black hair, a swarthy shorter variety with curled hair; and 'true negroes', short and broad in physicque with woolly hair".

Give this guy kudos at least that he recognised that MÄori weren't as many history schoolbooks depict of the same physical appearance.

-H.Ling Roth who did the English translation of Crozet's journal in 1891 said there were two races in the make up of Maori a black or Papauan and a yeloow or Malayo-Polynesian group. By late 19th Centuary this became dogma.

On top of these chappies you have the great "New Zealand Myth Makers" (drum roll please….ta da ta da!!!) Ol Eldson Best and Percy Smith. The inventers of the myth of the Seven waka, "The MÄori" and the 'pre-Maori', the One Maori race. The inventors of what Graham Bellich calls "The Great New Zealand Myth". Well he's not too bad an historian, but this Pakeha myth was disproved some 60 years before him by the likes of Ngata and was known to be false by many MÄori iwi, Aotearoa wide.

The term 'smithing' in New Zealand history was coined for the practise of taking bits of history from one place and mixing it with bits of history from another to create a new story altogether. This term references the practises of Percy Smith in particular. Chappies like John White tended to simply get their facts wrong to begin with, sending in people to ask queries of a Maori tribe, not checking if they asked the relevant sources, not checking if the Maori were asked at all. But aside from bad reporting there was just often out and out deception and misreport.

An example:

Percy Smith wrote to Elsdon Best in December 1909; "I have ..now a very..important paper dictated to Whatahoro ( Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury) in 1863 by an old tohunga of Wairarapa…But the old man charges hearers to keep it secret as it is tapu"

Smith had no intention of keeping it secret, he published it as Part II of the Lore in 1915. The resources for the works of these men in the main were coming from the likes of Moihi Te Matorohanga, Nepia Pohuh and Rihari Tohii recorded in the main by Whatahoro. You will notice though in their writings little acknowledgement is made of that these men provided the resources for their work. Little comment is made also, that the works of these men were recorded fully by the Tohunga themselves to be shared direct to the public. However even these manuscripts were copied and used as resources by Smith and Best, except for one small portion little of these originals were printed. These original manuscripts are now in the main lost.

IMO therefore, in many ways these were the Barry Brailsford's of their day, using the original manuscripts to base their own interpretative work rather than being recorders only. Judging and interpreting the
material, editing accordingly to the prevailing theories or fashions of anthropology in their day. In the main you will note supporting their notions of white/western 'superiority'. It irks me, that their prestige
and reputation were built on the works of others. It's a practise then and today, that really riles me, to treat native lore and knowledge as 'goodies' to be appropriated for personal glory or gain. Not only for
the disrespect for the original authors shown, but that the taonga, treasure of the original and authentic writings is lost and mislaid. Truth loses out-to the detriment of all.

The main manuscript based on the works of these last pre-christian Tohunga I understand was called "Tane-nui-a-rangi". In February 1899, at Papawai, a Tamahau Mahupuku made a plea
for the recording of Maori learning from elders with great knowledge. He suggested setting up groups to encourage this, and an appeal was made for old manuscript books. The Tane-nui-a-rangi committee was formed of which the most learned men of Ngati Kahungunu belonged. The committee met from 1905 to 1910 to consider the books, which they had gathered.

Once a manuscript was approved by the committee each page was stamped with the committee's seal. Some were given to the Dominion Museum where they were copied, but the original manuscripts have vanished. Hoani Te Whatahoro was also a member of the Tane-nui-a-rangi committee and I think the main recorder. (Simmons, D. & B. Biggs. 'The sources of "The lore of the whare-wananga")

"Although Hoani Te Whatahoro made important collections of Maori traditions and nineteenth century literature, much of this material was passed on to several European scholars. Elsdon Best, T. W. Downes, S. Percy Smith and John White all wrote articles which incorporated information supplied by Hoani Te Whatahoro, but made little or no acknowledgement.

Comment: the authority on M�ori history was who? These Pakeha 'recorders' or Hoani Te Whatahoro or other tohunga who they resourced?

One of the more important of these articles is Downes's 'History of the Ngati Kahu-ngunu', published in sections in the Journal of the Polynesian Society between 1914 and 1916. Percy Smith, president
of the Polynesian Society, used other writings of Hoani Te Whatahoro. He translated and published, under the title The lore of the whare-wananga , the teachings of Te Matorohanga and Nepia Pohuhu that had been written down by Hoani 48 years earlier. The first part of these teachings was printed as volume three of the Polynesian Society's Memoirs in 1913, the second part was first printed as chapters in the Journal in 1913 and 1914, and then reprinted in 1915 as volume four of the Memoirs. In these publications the ideas, opinions and interpretations of Smith dominate the English translation.

Okay, lets establish the fact there is no such thing as 'incontrovertible' history. And this accusation Smee makes of me of 're-writing' history shows immense stupidity as well ignorance of what theories have been put out there.

1. Early Pakeha historians would misreport their findings and worse deny the full telling of the history of Maori from the authorities on that subject; the MÄori tohunga themselves.
2. Although they would use MÄori as resource they would 'edit' that information to fit into pre-conceived ideas Biblical origins or superiority on the basis of 'evolution' and race.
3. The assumption of there being 'one race' lends itself to taking a 'sample' of one iwi's history and describing the whole of "maori" on that basis. Actually that hasn't changed even today.
4. The tendency of Pakeha to interpret what they see referencing their OWN culture. I note when Maori correct these false interpretations they are ridiculed and mocked because white intepretation is understandable and clear to Whites.

The truth of the Past MUST be told - the most common thing about the Pakeha histories of earlier years and much of today is that they all lend to reductionist theories that promote White superiority and reducing a wide and diverse history of many Maori peoples to 'one'. Eg an example of PAKEHA MINDSET

Later on the rest...

[Ngeruita]

Steiny: "kia ora to you all, it is true that as an American I can be seen to be 'taking' far more than I could ever hope to give back,"

True. There is in fact little that you can contribute to match what you take from us. Please don't kid yourself that you are doing anyone a favour. Please get in contact with academics from the Maori departments of the various Universities and hear their remarks about the constant stream of do-gooder Americans who do in fact more harm than good.

"but in Aotearoa at the moment for better or for worse as the saying goes, the emphasis by Maori on their vast sporting traditions is not a priority "

That MAY be the case but it is not your business to step in and interfere or think you have a say on the matter. If you must study other people-fine. But do not put yourself up as an authority on the matter or think you have any responsibility on the matter. You are simply not qualified. Firstly - you don't know what is going on, you can't see what is going on because you are not an insider, you are a Yank looking from outside.

"- Te Reo obviously dominates."
Outwardly so - the Kohanga reo (language nests) and full immersion programmes were the thin edge of the wedge to bring recovery of Maori cultures of many forms which is occuring Aotearoa live. The language is one of the major keys to understand all aspects - hence it is the first priorty.

However the recovery is in ALL areas of Maori culture.

" There are many reasons for this 1) the Maori prefer the Pakeha sports - the common term is that many Maori have been "Pakeharized" "

The colonisation process effected Maori on ALL levels not just sports. The revivial that kicked of in strength in the mid seventies with it the many Maori who are disinherited from their culture are slowly (although recently more rapidly) being initaited to what they had lost. Eg the various Wananaga take in high number NZ wide. So much so that the Government at one time capped the numbers - fearful of Maori recovery. Avoidance of non-pakeharization is that the recovery of Maori cultures, language, sports or whatever is in MAORI hands - only.

"2)there is not enough common knowledge about the old sports about "
That's true - but I suspect it is not common knowledge to Pakeha that which is the driving impetus of your research. What you can gain from studying us. That knowledge is known and promoted in clubs throughout Aotearoa - it is growing.

"3)the sports are unique in many cases to specific Iwi but more commonly to a particular Hapu even"

That is not a negative. It is simply a reflection of a white concern to have something unique to one iwi/hapu made 'property' or to all. If a sport is unique to an Iwi, leave it be, it is there business. Your cultural bias is showing.

" 4)Unfortunately sport is seen by many elders as belonging to the domain of the young ones and it is hard to rekindle participation again "

Actually that's not true. There has been recovery of the old sports and sharing between related Polynesian cultures to skill swap or understand better.

I won't go point by point of the rest re supposed apathy, lack of concern of maori leaders or elders -as you say-, social problems or lack of creativity or innovation by Maori as you say Steiny are the cause for some American to 'help' out till "Maori leadership prevails".

We've heard this crap before - it's arrogance. Not to mention arrogance you obviously don't know what's happening with the various Wananga Aotearoalive, nor are you aware how much creatitvity or innovation comes from the Maori world - that far out ranks Whtie New Zealander world wide let alone Aotearoa wide.

The work is being done - by those qualified and those who are there for the people - not for someone trying to make a name for themselves at our expense.

Cheers.