| Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was the first European to encounter the Maori. Four members of his crew were killed in a bloody encounter in 1642. In 1769 British explorer James Cook established friendly relations with some Maori. By 1800, visits by European ships were relatively frequent. At this time, war and disease took their toll on the Maori till eventually their population dropped to about 100000. In 1840 representatives of Britain and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This treaty established British rule, granted the Maori British citizenship, and recognized Maori land rights. Today many of the treaty's provisions are disputed and there ahs been and is an effort from the New Zealand Government to recompense Maori for some land that was illegally confiscated. Maori legend says that the Maori came from "Hawaiki", the legendary homeland about 1000 years ago. When the Maori arrived in Aotearoa (New Zealand) they found a land quite different to tropical Polynesia. New Zealand was not only colder, but it possessed many volcanoes and huge snow capped mountains. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand and means Land of the long white cloud. There are many theories about the origins of the Maori. some speculate that the island of Hawaiki could have been near Hawaii. The commonly accepted theory today, says that the Maori originated in China, and travelled via Taiwan, the Philippines to Indonesia, onto Melanesia and reached Fiji. From there to Samoa and on to the ... |
