maori+fall+research+summary

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 * Research Summary **

- Maori peoples named New Zealand ‘ Aotearoa’ meaning ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ (Tourism New Zealand)  - Subtropical in the far north, cool and temperate in the far south (NIWA) - Country is divided into dramatically different climate zones because of the mountain range in southern New Zealand which blocks westerly winds (NIWA) - West coast of the South island gets the most rain; only 100 km away on the east coast gets the least rain (NIWA) - Between 60-150 cm/2-5 feet of rain per year in most areas (NIWA) - In northern areas most rainfall is in winter, for southern areas the most rainfall is in summer (NIWA) - Average temperature 10 ° in south, 16 ° in north (NIWA) - Coldest month is July; warmest is January/February (NIWA) - Consistent year round temperature; not much variety between winter and summer (NIWA) - Snow falls are in mountainous regions, rarely occur in coastal areas (NIWA) - 75% of land in New Zealand contains mountains and/or hills (Virtual New Zealand) - Situated on two techtonic plates, Australian Indian Plate and the Pacific Plate (Virtual New Zealand) - On the North Island one plate slips under the other resulting in the mountain ranges and also volcanic activity (Virtual New Zealand) - On the South Island the two plates are smashing together resulting in the famous mountain range, the Southern Alps (Virtual New Zealand) - Mt Cook is the highest peak (3684 m) located on the South Island (Virtual New Zealand) - Mt Ruapehu is the highest mountain on the North Island (2797 m) and it is an active volcano (Virtual New Zealand)
 * Climate and Geographic Factors- **

- **1769** first Europeans settle and bring European diseases, animals, and weapons (Hoefer) - Intertribal musket wars from **1810-1830** killed and permanently displaced thousands of Maoris (New Zealand History Online) - **1840** Treaty of Waitangi signed, lots of conflict because the Maori chief was not aware of the consequences of giving land ownership to the Europeans (Wilson) - **1845** was the start of the Northern war which was the first war after the signing of the treaty (NZHO) - Northern war was a 3-way war between two strands of Ngapuhi and the Europeans (NZHO) - Formation of parliament with four Maori seats reserved in **1960s** (Wilson) - Waitangi Tribunal formed in **1975** to hear claims of Treaty abuse and to return land, money etc. into the hands of the Maoris (Wilson)
 * Events and Leaders- **
 * MAJOR EVENTS- **

- ** Hongi Hika ** was the Ngapuhi warrior chief in 1815, famous for starting the first musket wars (NZHO) - ** Te Rauparaha ** was a Maori prophet-military leader during the musket wars (Wilson) - **Hone Heke** was the chief of Ngapuhi in 1845, famous for chopping down a British flag beginning the Northern War (NZHO) - ** Potatau Te Wherowhero ** became the first Maori King in 1958 - **Te Kooti** was a famous military leader in the 1860s (Wilson) - **Te Ua Haumene** was a Maori prophet who was captured and converted to Christianity (Britannica)
 * IMPORTANT LEADERS- **

- Tribe often named after one common ancestor (McLintock) - Traditional social structure has influenced modern Maoris by giving a positive image of what their society looked like through history (McLintock) - Tribe was a large territorial-based unit (McLintock) - When Europeans began to visit New Zealand, each tribe contained several thousand Maoris (McLintock) - Status levels were based on birth, either born into a chiefly family or you were a commoner (Hoefer 31) - Elders/family heads were respected (Hoefer 31) - First born descendant in a line of first-born sons held ultimate authority - Sometimes multiple tribes would join together under one chief during war, trading, or resource-hunting (Hoefer 31) - Sub tribes called ‘hapu’ were arranged by a combination of ancestry/descent and residence (McLintock) - Maori could marry outside their hapu and this sometimes formed tight alliances between two sub-tribes (McLintock) - 1850s, a sense that Maoris were losing control of their affairs, decided to appoint a Maori King (NZHO) - Potatau Te Wherowhero (first king) led Maoris through the Waikato War (NZHO) - Even with official British leaders, Maori people were loyal to their own chief first and foremost (NZHO) -Pai Marire (goodness and peace) was a religion created when Maoris merged their traditional beliefs with Christianity in 19th century (NZHO)
 * Socio-Political Structure- **

- Many skin diseases due to their diet, severe skin diseases were said to be caused by demons (NZETC) - Eye diseases such as cataract and other were common because of the smoke filling their houses (NZETC) - To get rid of toothache, Maori would recite special incantations (NZETC - Europeans brought over diseases such as influenza, which Maori people had no immunity to (Tapsell) - Diseases spread rapidly, killing many and often causing villages to be abandoned because of the fear of contamination (Tapsell) - In the 1790s, Te Rewharewha (coughing disease) was an especially deadly plague, killing hundreds of Maoris in only a few weeks (Tapsell) - Te Rewharewha was so contagious that the Maori couldn’t even bury their own dead (Tapsell) - Soon after, diseases like tuberculosis and venereal disease were introduced (Crosby 36) - They were much slower, but just as deadly, virtually ruining the Maoris chances of recovering as an aboriginal group (Crosby 36) - Smallpox had a large effect on many aboriginal groups, but 2/3 of Maoris were already vaccinated against it by the time the disease spread to New Zealand (Crosby 37)
 * Plagues and Diseases- **

- Maoris practiced ‘moka’ which means tattooing on their faces as a way to show their ancestry and family rank (Simmons) - Used bone chisels found in various archaeological sites (Simmons) - High ranking Maori were all tattooed, if you didn’t have one you had no social status (Simmons) - Facial tattoos were very time consuming, bone structure was considered before beginning (Simmons) -Carvings were used to tell stories and pass them down through generations (Phillips) - Used New Zealand flax (over 50 different types) to weave blankets, clothes, mats and more (Phillips) - Music was a mix between song and speech (Telford) - Used bodies as instruments by stomping, clapping and slapping legs (Telford) - Witi Ihimaera wrote __Whale Rider__ in 1987, and when it was made into a film in 2002, info on the Maori was released internationally (Britannica)
 * Art, Literature, and Music- **

- Lots of wars fought between Maori tribes (Mader) - Pre-European weapons very deadly when used by skilled warriors which were usually males (Mader)
 * Transportation and Weaponry- **
 * - Mere: ** short, flat club made from wood, bone or greenstone; greenstone was a major status symbol because it was time-consuming to make (Mader)
 * - Wahaika: ** short club used for thrusting and disarming opponents (Mader)
 * - Kotiate: ** used for disarming opponent, prized possession on the battlefield (Mader)
 * - Taiaha: ** very common weapon, long, thin club, often over 5 feet long (Mader)
 * - Toki Pou Tangata: ** ceremonial weapon, handle and greenstone blade (Mader)



- Maori arrived in New Zealand by canoe (Hoefer) - Canoe was their main mode of transportation because of New Zealand’s access to the water (Hoefer) - Other than canoe, travelled by foot through rocky/mountainous terrain (Hoefer)