Māori Explorers

Whāinga ako: Lesson Goals

We are learning the origins and representations of early Māori

Mahi - Work

What is Hawaiki?

Māori, along with many other Polynesian peoples, believe 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

Want to learn more about the theories?

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

Where and when?
Do you recognise anything?

Describe

What is happening?
Who is involved?

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.