Maori Nationalism

Bibliography for research:

Māori people. (2016, July 5). Retrieved July 7, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Māori_people

New Zealand History - British and Maori | Tourism New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved July 06, 2016, from http://www.newzealand.com/int/history/

Johnson, D. (n.d.). Maori Culture. Retrieved July 06, 2016, from http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/culture/maori/

'Māori values and practices', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/frontier-of-chaos/maori-values, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 20-Dec-2012

'The national Māori flag', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/national-maori-flag, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 11-May-2015

Maori Mythology. (n.d.). Retrieved July 09, 2016, from http://whaleriderreligiousstudies.weebly.com/maori-mythology.html

Māori culture. (2016, June 116). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Māori_culture

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Maori. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maori

Orme, S. (n.d.). Treaty of Waitangi | Northland & Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.newzealand.com/int/feature/treaty-of-waitangi/

Māori religion. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Māori_religion

Waitangi Day. (2016, June 4). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitangi_Day

Anthem of the Maori people - in tune with Paradise by Coldplay

Bibliography for Images:

Relief map of New Zealand [Relief map of New Zealand]. (2014, June 10). Retrieved July 6, 2016, from http://unofficialnetworks.com/2014/06/detailed-relief-maps-show-worlds-mountain-ranges

DEM New Zealand [Map]. (2006, November 3). Retrieved July 6, 2016, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DEM_NewZealand.png

Milford Sound [Photograph found in New Zealand, Milford Sound]. (n.d.). In Made in New Zealand. Retrieved July 7, 2016, from https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=562495503

'Māori language by region (map)', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/maori-language-by-region-map, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 29-Jul-2015

Tame Iti headshot [Photograph found in Wikimedia Commons, Wellington]. (2016, July 4). In Tame Iti. Retrieved July 7, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tame_Iti (Originally photographed 2009, October 13)

Pereltsvaig, A. (2014, May 14). Hawaiian Cuisine as a Melting Pot of Ingredients and Cultures - Languages Of The World. Retrieved July 07, 2016, from http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/uncategorized/hawaiian-cuisine-melting-pot-ingredients-cultures.html

Gaudo, S. (2014, July 4). Terrifying Lightning Storm [Photograph found in Sardinia]. In Terrifying: Thunderstorm Creates Scary Nuclear Bomb Mushroom Cloud Over Sardinia. Retrieved July 7, 2016, from http://strangesounds.org/2014/07/terrifying-thunderstorm-creates-scary-nuclear-bomb-mushroom-cloud-over-sardinia.html (Originally photographed 2014, July 4)

'The national Māori flag', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/national-maori-flag, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 11-May-2015

" The Maori arrived,

to the islands of New Zealand.

Around the year 1300,

in the Common Era.

When they first arrived,

they were all alone.

But within a few hundred years,

they finally met Europeans.

With the new contact,

it brought many new things.

The Maori's life was changed,

in many more ways than they thought.

Soon they were dying off,

from new diseases and conflict.

But they survived it,

and kept on staying strong.

Soon many treaties were made,

and the country of New Zealand was formed.

Now the Maori had many rights,

which helped them maintain their culture.

But they are vulnerablke to the outside world,

which has vastly impacted their life.

So their culture is in danger,

and that's why they fight to preserve it.

And even though parts of it are dying,

others are thriving.

The battle still goes on,

The Maori culture will stay strong.

Maori Nationalism

by Mountain Man

Maori Nationalism Image

I selected this image as the piece of work that represents the Maori's nationalism because it is the official flag of the Maori people, which was created by a Maori artist to show how things in nature must be balanced. The black represents the heavens, the white represents light and being, while red symbolizes the realm of things that come into reality. Lastly the Koru, or folding wave shape represents the unfolding of life. I selected this as the groups' sense of nationalism because to the Maori the image is symbolic as it contains harmony between all aspects of their culture and life.

Symbol of Maori Nationalism

At first when I researched the Maori and read about their culture I instantly thought of them like a thunderstorm off in the distance. Whenever we see a thunderstorm we are awestruck by its raw beauty and sheer violent power. The Maori people throughout history have been seen as fierce warriors who strike fear into their enemies before a battle starts, which is what thunderstorms in the distance do. For example, in both world wars, Maori soldiers fighting for New Zealand would perform their cultural dance and fighting song, the Haka, the night before a battle to rattle their enemies to make them have an uneasy sleep, so they would be tired and a bit scared the next morning. Today the New Zealand Rugby team, the All Blacks, uses the Haka dance as well, to intimidate their opponents before a game even starts. I think that the thunderstorm represents the Maori's Nationalism well because it shows how they are a fierce, resilient force that will always have a presence in New Zealand, and they will never give up their culture.

Language

Culture

Geography

The Maori people in New Zealand speak mostly two languages, English and Maori. Most of the youth today learn only English as it is the main language of New Zealand. But for those who learn Maori it helps Maori nationalism because they come together to learn and teach the language. This helps them boost their cultural nationalism because they can celebrate aspects of their culture and history with other Maori speaking people, especially the elders.

In 1987 Maori was made an official language of New Zealand, adding to Maori pride and nationalism.

Percentage of Māori with the ability to converse in the Māori language, by region.

The country of New Zealand is primarily two islands that are located in the South-Eastern Pacific Ocean, just off the Eastern coast of Australia. New Zealand's Geography is influenced by many things, with the largest being the country split between two Tectonic Plates. The country is a volcanic and mountainous region, but also a coastal and tropical region as it is close to the equator. It has an incredibly diverse terrain and a wide number of ecosystems.

The Maori for the most part are culturally very similar to other New Zealanders, but are still very attached to their heritage in a number of ways.

One of the most unique features of the Maori culture is the facial tattoos. Tā Moko is the cultural practice of carving and tatooing to display status, lineage and even origins by men and women of the Maori.

Another famous aspect of their culture would be the Haka War Dance. Since the Maori culture has such a strong influence on New Zealand there is a national holiday for the Maori. Waitangi Day, which is celebrated on February 6 annually marks the day in which the Waitangi Treaty was signed between the Maori and the British to allow for New Zealand to become a British Colony.

Cultural aspects for the Maori such as the Tā Moko are not just thriving locally, but internationally and this overall helps to build up the Maori's nationalism.

Geography affecting Nationalism

The Maori people of New Zealand have more than a physical connection to the land as their culture has evolved based off the land. Everything from the mountains to the forest have shaped the Maori's nationalism because without the land the Maori's life and culture would be completely different. Overall it can be summed up as that without New Zealand's unique terrain, the Maori people would not exist in the way that they do today.

History

New Zealand's history is a relatively new one as the first inhabitants of the Island arrived in the years around 1300 CE from the Polynesian islands. For the first few hundred years the Maori people thrived in New Zealand. In 1642 European explorers finally reached the island and made contact with the Maori. Before European settlers came to the island the Maori people did not have a name for themselves. After contact they called themselves the Maori, which when translated in the Maori language means "common or normal". This was how they could tell themselves apart from the Europeans.

At first Europeans were primarily interested in New Zealand for whaling and sealing stations and traded with the Maori for fish and food. Just like the First Nations of North America, along with contact came the spread of diseases which greatly decreased the Maori population. One interesting fact is that in 1809 there was a small fight between the Maori and a British expedition. The Maori won and a number of the Europeans were eaten. For several years the British avoided contact as much as possible due to this threat of cannabalism.

In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between over 500 Maori chiefs and the British government. Part of the treaty was that the Maori and New Zealand would come under British rule and became a British colony. For this they were able to keep their lands land and tribal autonomy. The interpretation and understanding of the treaty was different between the Maori and the British. Land wars broke out between them in the 1840's and 1860's, which the British won. Additional lands were taken by the British after this conflict. During the 19th and 20th Centuries most of the Maori lands were sold to settlers or taken over by the British government. In 1975 the New Zealand Government formed a tribunal for the Maori to help recitify their side of the original treaty, because in many cases their land was taken or sold illegally.

Nowadays the Maori make up roughly 15% of the population in New Zealand today.

The Affect of history on Maori Nationalism

The Maori people's sense of nationalism has been drastically affected by the events of the past. Similar to many of the First Nations in Canada, many Maori do not feel like they were treated fairly by the British, and have resentment towards the goverment.

Although the Maori have complaints with how they have been treated in the past by the British, they also have a very proud warrior culture, an example being the "Haka" dance and song which the famous New Zealand All Blacks perform before rugby games.

Religion and Spirituality

Prior to European contact, the Maori people's religion was similar to many other Polynesian nations in that they believed their fate was all in the hands of a large number of gods. The Maori believed that everything was created by the gods of the void, the night and the world of light. Those gods had children who in turn made humans, so humans were always greatfull to the gods because they created humans. All the aspects in Maori life were releatable back to the gods, and so to appease them, the Maori performed many rituals like returning the first fish caught back into the ocean to appease the ocean god, as an example.

Once European settlers arrived in the 1800's, Christian missionaries started converting the Maori to Christianity, and most Maori to this day follow one of the main Christian religions or are atheists. Some even practice Islam, even though it is only 0.19% of the Maori population. Very few people still practice the original Maori religion.

Overall, the original Maori religion does not play a significant role in Maori nationalism for the simple fact that most Maori are either Christian or atheists.