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What is Hawaiki?
What is Hawaiki?
Māori, along with many other Polynesian peoples, believe in a place called "Hawaiki" to be their Tūrangawaewae. This is because Hawaiki was the place Māori set sail from before settling in Aotearoa. Within Polynesian culture, Hawaiki is held with high prestige and is said to be the origin point of all life and many legends. It is where all Pacific life came from, and therefore, is of major significance to Polynesian cultures.
However, no one knows exactly where or what Hawaiki is...
There are three theories
Hawaiki is in the Pacific
Hawaiki is in Asia
Hawaiki is a mythical place
How Māori have been misrepresented through history
How Māori have been misrepresented through history
Below is a famous painting. It portrays Māori in a certain way. Before speaking to anyone about it, look over it in silence and analyse it:
Identify
Identify
Where and when?
Do you recognise anything?
Describe
Describe
What is happening?
Who is involved?
Analyse
Analyse
What is the overall mood?
Is there a hidden message?
Louis Steele and Charles Goldie painted 'The Arrival of the Maoris to New Zealand' in 1899.
The artwork shows a double waka carrying thin and hungry Polynesian people. They are reaching out towards Aotearoa upon seeing it on the horizon. Anyone of this era would have recognised that the painting is influenced by the famous artwork, 'Raft of the Medusa' by Géricault and is inspired by European perspectives rather than Māori stories about immigration voyages.
How are Māori depicted in this painting?
How might that differ from reality?
Why do you think the painters depicted Māori this way?
WT/WB - Arrival of Maoris in NZWW - Arrival of Maoris in NZThe Great Voyage
The Great Voyage
Māori and Polynesian explored and settled throughout East Asia and the Pacific. These people achieved this great feat by using their advanced navigation and sailing skills aboard many waka. We are going to appreciate the journey they took - often referred to as the Great Voyage.
But first of all, how did they actually do it?
Navigating using the stars
Navigating using the stars
Māori were master waka builders and navigators. They used the night sky to map their travel- they learned where stars would rise and used this knowledge to set their paths across the Pacific. This and knowing the movement of winds and tides was essential knowledge to have on board a waka exploring.
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