bulibasha - intro to maori context

BulibashaThe Maori People

New Zealand: The Beginning

• New Zealand was the last country to be populated by human beings

• The first Maori settlers arrived sometime between 1100 and 1200 AD

• At this time, Islam had spread across Northern Africa, Christians were making their first attacks on Jerusalem, and North American Natives had already been living off the land for hundreds of years.

Timeline• 1835 – Maori Declaration of Independence• 1840 – Treaty of Waitangi: marks the beginning

of British Sovereignty• 1840 – first New Zealand company settlers

arrive• 1844 – Private land purchases allowed• 1846 – Surplus Maori land confiscated• 1860 – New Zealand land wars begin: Maori

fight back• 1865 – Native Land Court established: made it

easier for Maori to sell land to settlers

What happens to a warrior society without land?

Timeline• 1953 – Maori Affairs Act: land

that could be proved was being unused could be claimed and governed by trustees (often local Iwi but sometimes not)

• 1987 – Landmark court case: Maori Council vs. Attorney General, verdict was that Maori could lay claim to surplus crown land

• 1992 – First Treaty Settlements signed: Maori tribes given financial settlements to purchase large companies and invest in their own enterprises

Source: www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/waitangi-day

Whose land is it?

Maori Warrior Culture • It is true that Maori did not have a

written language before European settlers arrived

• However, they did have a complex and ancient oral tradition of mythology, legend, and scientific lore

This is a Tekoteko, a carving adorning a Marae

It represents both a welcome and a challenge to visiting friends and foes

Maori Warrior Culture• Whakapapa:

– Maori geneology– Marae feature carvings

that tell the story of a family history going back to the times of myth and legend

– Famous warriors feature prominently in Marae carvings

A pounamu mere

Maori Warrior Culture

• Maori craftspeople put great care and attention into all of their works

• Weapons especially were great treasures and much time was spent on their decoration

A carved taiaha or spear

Maori Warrior Culture• Every object was made

into a taonga, or treasure• Substances like wood,

whale bone, or pounamu (jade, greenstone) were turned into works of great beauty

A wooden mere with ornamental carvings

Maori Warrior Culture

• Waka were intricately carved works of art

• They bestowed mana, or prestige, honour upon the tribes that owned them

• The waka was transportation for war

The carved bow of a waka

Some Maori Concepts

• Marae: – A meeting house– Centre of the

community– Complex carvings tell

the genealogy and history of the family or tribe who owns the marae

Whanau

• The idea of family

• Often includes extended family, ie. First and second cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.

• Can be extended to refer to a wide variety of people, such as great friends, colleagues, etc.

Maori Religion• Maori were converted to

Christianity quite quickly• Christmas Day, 1814 – first

Christian service• Treaty of Waitangi, 1842

• Christian faith is about love for others, forgiveness

• Ratana faith, Mormonism – all had large Maori populations

• In recent years, traditional Maori culture is being revived

Bulibasha

• This novel is about power in families and what it means to grow up

• It is also about modernity:• How do warriors get

along in modern NZ culture?

• How do families need to act to be strong in modern NZ culture?