Polynesian Migrations
The Polynesian people are a group of sea-migrating Austronesian people. Using linguistic and archaeological evidence, historians can trace their prehistoric origins to the modern island of Taiwan. At about 2000 BCE, speakers of Austronesian languages began migrating on canoes from Taiwan into Islands in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Migration seems to have been caused by over-population, since there was a significant population increase after the development of agriculture. From Tonga, seafarers sailed into eastern Polynesia and settled there. Gradually, people migrated further, perhaps out of necessity or a sense of adventure, settling Hawai'i, Rapa Nui, and Aotearoa.
|
Polynesian peoples began to migrate to New Zealand around 1000 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, these Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as "Māori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Māori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organization. Agriculture flourished using plants they introduced, and later a prominent warrior culture emerged.
European Colonialism
The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand starting from the 17th century brought enormous change to the Māori way of life. Māori people gradually adopted many aspects of Western society and culture. In signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, New Zealand became a new British colony. Social upheaval, economic exploitation, decades of conflict and Eurasian epidemic diseases took a devastating toll on the Māori population, which went into a dramatic decline. In many places like in New Zealand, the Māori rebelled. The Māori Wars resulted because Europeans tried to take Māori land. But by the start of the 20th century, the Māori population had begun to recover, and efforts were made to increase their standing in New Zealand society. Traditional Māori culture has enjoyed a revival, and a protest movement emerged in the 1960s advocating Māori issues.
The Māori people believe their presence in New Zealand dates back to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Māori chiefs (always the first-born, always male) have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. |
|
|