2. New Zealand: The Beginning
• New Zealand was the last country to be
populated by human beings
• The first Maori settlers arrived sometime
between 1100 and 1200 AD
• At this time, Islam had spread across
Northern Africa, Christians were making
their first attacks on Jerusalem, and North
American Natives had already been living
off the land for hundreds of years.
3. Timeline
• 1835 – Maori Declaration of Independence
• 1840 – Treaty of Waitangi: marks the beginning
of British Sovereignty
• 1840 – first New Zealand company settlers
arrive
• 1844 – Private land purchases allowed
• 1846 – Surplus Maori land confiscated
• 1860 – New Zealand land wars begin: Maori
fight back
• 1865 – Native Land Court established: made it
easier for Maori to sell land to settlers
What happens to a warrior society
without land?
4. Timeline
• 1953 – Maori Affairs Act: land
that could be proved was
being unused could be claimed
and governed by trustees
(often local Iwi but sometimes
not)
• 1987 – Landmark court case:
Maori Council vs. Attorney
General, verdict was that
Maori could lay claim to
surplus crown land
• 1992 – First Treaty
Settlements signed: Maori
tribes given financial
settlements to purchase large
companies and invest in their
own enterprises
Source: www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/waitangi-day
Whose land is it?
5. Maori Warrior Culture
• It is true that Maori did not have a
written language before European
settlers arrived
• However, they did have a complex
and ancient oral tradition of
mythology, legend, and scientific lore
This is a Tekoteko, a carving adorning
a Marae
It represents both a welcome and a
challenge to visiting friends and foes
6. Maori Warrior Culture
• Whakapapa:
– Maori geneology
– Marae feature carvings
that tell the story of a
family history going back
to the times of myth and
legend
– Famous warriors feature
prominently in Marae
carvings
A pounamu mere
7. Maori Warrior Culture
• Maori craftspeople put
great care and attention
into all of their works
• Weapons especially were
great treasures and much
time was spent on their
decoration
A carved taiaha or spear
8. Maori Warrior Culture
• Every object was made
into a taonga, or treasure
• Substances like wood,
whale bone, or pounamu
(jade, greenstone) were
turned into works of great
beauty
A wooden mere with
ornamental carvings
9. Maori Warrior Culture
• Waka were intricately
carved works of art
• They bestowed mana, or
prestige, honour upon the
tribes that owned them
• The waka was
transportation for war
The carved bow of a waka
10. Some Maori Concepts
• Marae:
– A meeting house
– Centre of the
community
– Complex carvings tell
the genealogy and
history of the family or
tribe who owns the
marae
11. Whanau
• The idea of family
• Often includes extended
family, ie. First and
second cousins,
grandparents, aunts and
uncles, etc.
• Can be extended to refer
to a wide variety of
people, such as great
friends, colleagues, etc.
12. Maori Religion
• Maori were converted to
Christianity quite quickly
• Christmas Day, 1814 – first
Christian service
• Treaty of Waitangi, 1842
• Christian faith is about love for
others, forgiveness
• Ratana faith, Mormonism – all
had large Maori populations
• In recent years, traditional
Maori culture is being revived
13. Bulibasha
• This novel is about power
in families and what it
means to grow up
• It is also about modernity:
• How do warriors get
along in modern NZ
culture?
• How do families need to
act to be strong in
modern NZ culture?
