Classic and Modern Maori

The Polynesians who arrived in New Zealand around 750AD found a new and strange land. Initial settlement tseemed to take place in the South Island. DNA and evidence from archealogical evidence from ancient middens seems to confirm this.

Why they avoided the north is debateable. It may have been that the dark and brooding forests scared them, and despite being heavily populated by birdlife they may have found them to difficult to hunt efficiently.

In the South however there existed large areas of open grassland or scrub which it seems were grazed by large herds of birds. New Zealands extreme isolation had meant that almost no mamalian life existed here (excluding 2 species of bat). Instead birds had dominated and developed free of predators. Amongst them were many species of flightless birds including the Moa. These existed in a variety of sizes from relatively small chickens to the giants that are on display in our Museums.

The Polynesians found hunting Moa easy and like many neolithic peoples began to slowly wipe them out. These people are often called the Classic Maori but culturally were not the Maori as we know them. They developed as Hunter-Gatherers moving in small groups in an orderly fashion following the seasonal foods, kai moana, forest food etc. There were probably only a few thousand of these people as this lifestyle does not support groups larges than 40-50. Smaller groups struggle to collect enough to feed themselves, larger groups struggle to find enough to support themselves...

By the end of the 13th century the Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle was coming to an end. Quite simply the Moa was running out. Neolithic hunters often killed by driving entire herds over cliffs or into swamps. DoC would not be happy. TIt was also getting colder the Classic Maori were in danger of dying out.

Luckily for them far away something was coming to their rescue. A voyager, almost certainly Polynesian, had travelled from South America carrying a small root vegetable. The Kumara arrived in Polynesia and quickly spread across the islands suplimenting other food stuffs like yam and taro. Just as the saviour arrived the door slammed shut on voyaging and Maori were isolatd from the world until the arrival of Europe in the 18th century.

The Kumaras arrival in New Zealand allowing the Maori to survive. The Classic Maori was replaced by the Modern Maori. Necessity drove them north, the Kumara could only grow in the warmer parts of the North Island. Agriculture developed and land became important. Agriculture supports larger populations and more people demanded more food, more food needs more land. Larger and closer family ties meant that Whanau, Hapu and Iwi developed into a complex tribal groups. Protection of crops and land demanded fortified villages. Alliances developed via Iwi and were reinforced through marriage.