Exploring the Arrival of Maori in Aotearoa: Historical Perspectives

This essay explores the arrival of the Maori people in Aotearoa (New Zealand), examining their origins, migration patterns, and cultural development. It discusses the Polynesian ancestry of the Maori, tracing their roots to the islands of the Pacific and the mythical land of Hawaiki. The essay delves into the skills and tools used by the Maori ancestors for navigation, including their knowledge of stars and ocean currents, and highlights the tribal narratives surrounding the discovery of New Zealand, including stories of Kupe and the Great Fleet. It also covers the agricultural practices of the Maori upon arriving in Aotearoa and the evolution of their culture, from maritime traditions to inland settlements. The essay touches upon the debates surrounding the timing and circumstances of the first Polynesian settlements, including the contributions of ethnologists like H.D. Skinner and Roger Duff, and the demolition of the Great Fleet Theory by David Simmons. Overall, the essay provides a comprehensive overview of the historical and cultural aspects of the Maori arrival in Aotearoa.

Running head: ARRIVAL OF MAORI IN AOTEAROA
Arrival of Maori in Aotearoa
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Maori refers to indigenous Polynesian people belonging to New Zealand. They
originated with that of settlers from eastern Polynesia and the arrived in the country in
various waves of the waka (canoe) in between the years 1320 and the 1350. They used to live
in a state of the isolation and it made them develop the distinctive culture, language along
with the performing arts. Arrival of the Europeans within New Zealand started in 17th century
and it brought changes to the way of life of Maori (Maaori.com. 2020). The people adopted
the aspect of the Western society along with the culture and signing of Treaty of Waitangi
helped in co-existence of the two cultures. This essay argues that the tradition of the Maoris
reveal that their origins are similar to the Polynesians and the ancient knowledge of the stars
of Maoris helped them in travelling to foreign land. This essay elaborates on the stories of the
arrival of Maori within Aotearoa and about the ancestors of Maori. The essay talks about the
skills along with the tools that the ancestors made use of for the purpose of travelling. This
essay elucidates on the things that were brought by the Maoris and the activities that were
carried out by them in the event of coming onshore in the new home.
The traditions and the language of Maoris reveals the fact that they have origins
which is common to the Polynesians. The Maori can be said to be Polynesian that have the
blending of the Melanesian blood. They can be said to be connected with dark-skinned
people of the New Guinea along with adjacent islands. Ancestry of Maori can be traced to
islands of Pacific. Last migration of the Maoris came from the Tahiti along with the adjacent
islands. Tohungas have been instrumental in preserving these facts from last of Hawaikis to
arrival of the ancestors to the New Zealand (Anderson 2016). “Hawaiki” is indicative of
distant home and it is indicative of a place from where Maoris came at the time of their
wandering. The ancestry of Polynesians can be traced to the distant Hawaiki and the northern
shores of Persian Gulf and the inhabitants of the Asia (Teara.govt.nz. 2020). It have been
pointed out by Mr. Cowan in the Maoris of New Zealand that Maori- Polynesian comes from

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Caucasian race and this view is accepted by the scientific investigators of the present age. On
the basis of this viewpoint, it can be stated that Maoris have connection with that of ancient
Chaldeans, Babylonians along with Phoenicians. The non-maori chroniclers have talked
about the fact that the migration took place by virtue of the chance as the wanderers had been
blown away from the course. It was claimed that the journeys were in one direction and there
existed no incidence of the return journeys into that of Pacific.
Polynesian culture expanded eastwards from that of Bismarck Archipelago 3500 years
ago. Exact date of the settlement of the Polynesian of islands of the New Zealand have not
been known. It was thought of previously that it took place in between 950-1130 AD but
presently the scholars are unsure regarding time along with the circumstances of the first
Polynesian settlement. It was estimated by the ethnologists that the mythical navigator called
Kupe arrived around 925 (Newzealand.com. 2020). Same scholars brought out the fact that
the Maori figure Toi had visited New Zealand around 1150. Great Fleet was thought of as
first mass arrival pertaining to Polynesian settlers and it is estimated that they arrived around
1350. The Polynesians settled in coast of the New Zealand and in east coast that was thought
of to be more hospitable in terms of the climate. Settlers were instrumental in introducing
various kinds of animals like dog and small Polynesian rat.
There were various kinds of skills along with the tools that were used by Maoris at the
time of their travelling. Sophisticated ancient knowledge in relation to stars along with ocean
currents were made use of by the Maoris for the purpose of travelling to the foreign land.
Knowledge of the stars are passed to present day with the help of tukutuku weaving that
adorns walls of the houses. Migratory whales had provided the guidance to the Maoris who
possess the faith in the activities of fellow creatures. The migratory birds used to play an
important role and they were responsible for guiding the people into and from the Pacific
(Nzherald.co.nz. 2020). The legend of Maori points out to the fact that Kupe along with the

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crew from the Hawaiki were first people who were able to find the New Zealand. Kupe took
recourse to the navigational skills that helped them in finding the new land by making use of
study of ocean currents along with the stars.
There were certain happenings that took place in the event of the Maoris traveling to
the Aotearoa. There are many tribal narratives on the basis of which it is suggested that Kupe
was first explorer who discovered islands of the New Zealand. He had a great fight with the
wheke (octopus) that helped him in reaching the Aotearoa. The captain who made the voyage
to the New Zealand was the Turi who was captain of Aotea canoe. The stories of the Turi
along with the Kupe have been found to be intertwined across the Pacific. Tradition have
brought out the fact that Turi had followed the instructions of Kupe in the event of sailing
from the Hawaiki to the New Zealand (Simmonds, Ockie and Kiyotaka 2018). Canoe made
the landfall within Waitemata Harbour and then it travelled to west coast of North Island
from the Aotea Harbour. There was a notion that ancestors of Maori had come to the New
Zealand with the help of the ‘great fleet’ of that of the seven canoes that was instrumental in
making perilous voyage. The tribal groups traced the origins to captains along with the crew
of more than that of the 40 legendary vessels.
The Maoris were the agricultural people and they used to pay attention to the aspect
of cultivation. Voyagers brought the food plants along with them like the kumara, taro, yams
and the hue that they made use of for the purpose of cultivation. The village was surrounded
by the garden and the people were involved in the act of the cultivation. The agricultural tool
of Ko was used by the Maoris and it was used to serve the purpose of loosening the soil. Ko
was made use of with that of teka which was used as a spade. The ko had been carved in an
elaborate manner and it was used for serving the ceremonial purposes. It was used for
conducting various rituals in relation to the planting (Devere et al. 2019). The Timo were
made use of as the grubbers and it served the useful purpose of loosening the soil. They were

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made out of forked branch and they had flattened blade along with round handle. It could be
used in an effective manner in the squatting position that facilitated the work of the Maoris.
The kaheru was a form of the wooden spade and it resembled the ko which was triangular
blade form. The kaheru was made use of for carrying out the heavy work like the breaking up
of the soil along with the heavy digging (Hikuroa 2017). It was made of various kinds of
woods which includes the maire, manuka along with the matai.
The oral tradition talks about the fact that the canoes had landed on East Coast of that
of North Island. Whangaparaoa was at eastern tip of Bay of Plenty and it was called landing
place of the numerous canoes. There was another canoe called Mataatua which made the
landfall at mouth of the Whakatane River. The canoe had been instrumental in exploring
coasts and they were involved in reconnoitring land and in seeking the safe haven. Tainui had
travelled alongside Bay of Plenty coastline and then they journeyed Hauraki Gulf and then
they went into Waitemata Harbour (Waldon 2019). Then they travelled up Tamaki River and
crew were involved in dragging canoe over Tamaki isthmus. They then sailed in Manukau
Harbour and then southward to that of Mokau within the King Country. The Maoris
developed the horticulture in the event of coming ashore to the new home. They made use of
the careful techniques for warming the soil that helped them in the production of the new
plants like kumara or sweet potato (Warren 2017). Then they turned inland that helped them
in encountering great forests. The Maori culture was maritime in the initial phase and later on
they moved to the other places which were dominated by the trees and the bird life.
There were human arrival stories of the Maoris in the event of arriving within the
Aotearoa. There is story of the Great Fleet that states how in the year 750 AD Polynesian
explorer called Kupe had discovered the uninhabited New Zealand. In between the years
1000- 1100 AD explorers visited the New Zealand which was inhabited by the nomadic
people called Moriori. In the 1350 AD the seven canoes- Kurahaupo, Tainui, Te Arawa,

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Aotea, Mataatua, Te Arawa along with Takitimu departed from that of Tahitian region and it
brought the people who were called Maori to the New Zealand. The Great Fleet narrative of
S. Percy Smith can be seen in wider context of the Aryan theory (Smith 2017). The story
talks about an adventurous past for the Maori along with the Pakeha migrants which was
linked to a distant and a common ancestry. Idea of Great Fleet had been accepted by the
Maori along with the Pakeha. Maori scholar called Peter Buck have claimed that the
Polynesians were the Aryans who have originated within Middle East and they used to live
somewhere within India. He had supported story of the discovery by that of Polynesian
explorers called Kupe, Toi along with the Whatonga (Reid, Donna and Sarah-Jane 2018).
The ethnologists of New Zealand called H.D. Skinner along with the Roger Duff
have on other hand put forth the story that first settlers called the moa hunters were
themselves the Polynesians. The excavations of Duff in archaeological site of the Wairau Bar
within Marlborough have been successful in establishing the fact that moa hunters were the
early Maori people. He have elaborated on the fact that differences in between the human
tools were found in the various excavated layers that can help in explaining the evolution of
the Maori culture. In 2000, generally accepted understanding was that Polynesians were the
first settlers within New Zealand who had arrived in late 1200’s. Around the 1300, the people
sailed to the east across the 800 km of the open sea to that of Chatham Islands (Reid et al.
2017). They became isolated over there and were instrumental in developing the distinctive
culture. In 1830, the Maori arrived within the Chatham Islands with the help of the European
sailing ship. The people on the Chatham Islands started to call themselves the Moriori.
Ethnologist called David Simmons have been instrumental in demolishing the Great Fleet
Theory of Percy Smith. He have demonstrated the fact that Smith had manipulated the
tradition that have helped him in producing the story (Teara.govt.nz. 2020).

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Tradition of the Maori people have revealed the fact that their origin is similar to
that of Polynesians. Maori is indicative of the Polynesian and they have blending of
Melanesian blood. They were connected to dark-skinned people coming from the New
Guinea and the adjacent islands. Exact date pertaining to settlement of Polynesian in the New
Islands is not known for sure however it was thought earlier that it happened between the
950-1130 AD. The Maoris had the knowledge of stars that helped them in moving to the new
place. They were imbibed with the old knowledge of the stars and that of ocean currents that
facilitated their travelling in the new land. Great Fleet Story talks about the fact that
Polynesian explorer by the name of Kupe had been instrumental in the discovery of the New
Zealand. The explorers had come to the New Zealand that was inhabited by nomadic people
by the name of Moriori.

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