HISTORY

 

Maori

The ancestors of the Maori traveled to New Zealand from eastern Polynesia some legends say from Hawaii before 1300 CE. Isolated from the rest of the world, the Māori developed their own unique culture with a separate language, rich mythology tied to their ocean heritage, skilled wood and stone carving, colorful song and dance, as well as a fierce warrior code. The Maori separated themselves by tribes, their culture placing great value on courage and family relations. Tribes were often interrelated. At the same time tribal warfare became an integral part of their life. Encouraging personal valor, long range weapons were not part of their native arsenal. Instead, close combat involved the use of elaborate clubs and volcanic glass swords. Some tribes practiced headhunting and cannibalism (the Haka, symbol of the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team is a historical vestige of the Maori’s historical ferocity). For 1000 years before the first British traders arrived, the Maori lived on the North Island of New Zealand in a kind of military parity. Trade guns tipped the balance.

 

British colonialization

It is believed that the first whites to visit the island were Dutch explorers in 1642. Several were killed and eaten. Over time, the Maori came to look forward to and accept peaceful trade with the pakeha (foreigner – usually whites) as they had come to crave the interesting and useful items offered for trade. Once guns were introduced, tribes without the weapons were at the mercy of those who had them. During the period of 1800-1840 Maori society endured evolutionary convulsions due to the influence of Pakeha trade goods. The early British settlements of Aukland, Wellington, Wanganui, New Plymouth and Nelson hugged the coast and existed on the sufferance of the Maori for the usefulness of their occupants. The Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 put a strain on their relationship. British authorities felt they were gaining control of large portions of New Zealand in exchange for the order and civilization they provided while the Maori believed they were ensuring a steady flow of valuable knowledge and trade goods in exchange for … well, nothing much, for they grasped the concept of land ownership little more than the Native American. The first of a long string of misunderstandings.

 

Early Conflict

Land purchasing and land grabbing became the principal source of friction between the British and Maori. Early conflicts were relatively one sided on the side of the Maori. The natives had the greater military training and organization and from the start were well armed because they demanded superior weaponry in trade over the sham guns usually offered to natives. But soon the British military presence increased and its equipment improved with the import of artillery, cavalry and gunboats. And in time the British even learned to emulate the Maori’s favorite tactic, ambush. From the beginning, the British marveled at and feared attacking the formidable native Pa. The Pa was a native fortification unlike anything they had previously faced. Located on hills or along the coastline, on the surface they appeared to be little more than a pallisaded village. In actuality it was an intricate web of log and trench fortifications, hardly approachable without artillery. Whites were equally amazed by monstrous Maori war canoes, vessels that might stretch to 130’ and transport up to 100 warriors.

 

Three Decades of War

Between 1840 and 1875, the British, along with Australian troops, New Zealand militia and their native allies or Queenites, fought a long series of separate conflicts to determine who would be masters of New Zealand. Indignation, glory, religion, all played a part in the frequent tribal uprisings. From the beginning, Maori tribes were never united. As the wars dragged on neutral tribes were often dragged into the fight by one side or the other. More often then not, tribes would switch sides at the most inopportune time. Ultimately outnumbered, the Maori still forced the British commitment of 18,000 troops to defeat them Still, military superiority was a foregone conclusion the Maori had difficulty accepting. Maori victories over remarkable odds are legendary. Decades of fighting  passed and heroes rose to the fore. The Maori remember and revere such leaders as Hone Heke, Titokowaru, and Te Kooti. For their part the British hail the exploits of Prussian Major G.F. Von Tempsky, Major William Mair and Lt. Colonel George Whitmore. New Zealanders descended from both factions remember with pride their heritage forged in the fires of the Colonial Land Wars also known as the MAORI WARS.