WHO WERE THE MAORI?

The Maori were the first to arrive in New Zealand, nowadays they are the natives/indigenous people of New Zealand and other Polynesian islands. There are many believes and also proof of the Polynesian people migrated from Asia, but Captain James Cook noticed that the Polynesian and Maori people were quite similar in their appearances and cultural belief, he trusted his instincts and thought that the Maori people came from the islands of south east Asia.

What Were The Maori Beliefs?

The Maori consisted of two gods the sky father named Rangi and the earth Mother named Papa, they were ought to have created plants, men and animals. the Maori also believed that everything had a definite soul and a liquid concept essence. Mana showed itself in Nature, land, humans and other things. Mana seemed to join with contemporary concepts of nobility, power, influence, charisma, authority, prestige and other.

Who Discovered Aotearoa?

According to the Maori, te first person to arrive/discover Aotearoa/New Zealand was Kupe. He arrived in New Zealand around 1000 years ago. Using the stars and the current of the water he got to Aotearoa on his waka hourua(voyaging canoe) from his ancestral Polynesian island of Hawaiki.

When Did The Europeans Arrive On Aotearoa?

The first European to sight New Zealand was a Dutch voyager, Abel Tasman. Around 1840, missionaries came to New Zealand. these people had minor contact with the Maori. The Maori and Europeans had great dealings with each other, this made the Europeans seem friendly and act friendly too. It was not long after, more Europeans settled in New Zealand and lived on the coastal areas of Aotearoa.

Where do The Maori Live Nowadays?

Even though New Zealand consists of Maori people, most of them live on the north island of New Zealand and the south island. They can be seen in their tribes doing their rituals and other performances.

How Many Maori Are Left?

According to New Zealand's national census group, in 2013 there are 598,605 people that belong to the Maori group. ore than 600,000 people reported that they were of Maori kind. In 2011 there were 128,430 Maori people living throughout Australia.

Bibliography

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/ideas-of-maori-origins https://intercontinentalcry.org/indigenous-peoples/maori/ http://www.themaori.com/maori-culture-beliefs https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2_YzRwxiRJjZTgxSDQwTjhhYVk/view http://www.newzealand.com/au/feature/europeans-arrive-to-aotearoa/ http://www.maorilanguage.info/mao_pop_faq.html