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The journey to Aotearoa
The journey to Aotearoa
Starting point
Starting point
The story of migration starts in Hawaiki, the homeland of Māori. The idea is often thought of as a mythical destination beyond life, but there are strong evidence that Māori direct ancestors are from the general East Polynesia region.
Māori oral traditions recorded that at around 800AD to 925AD, depending on the sources, Aotearoa was discovered by Kupe and his wife Hine-i-te-aparangiati, after Kupe's attempt to slay Muturangi the giant octopus led them to the island.
Between 1280 to 1350AD, large fleets of Waka left the Hawaiki region of East Polynesia for Aotearoa, one of those landing sites being Wairau Bar on the East Coast of Te Waipounamu - South Island. According to local indigenous history expert Keelan Walker, there were approximately 10 to 12 wakas which left Hawaiki to settle in Aotearoa.
The map from Jeff Evans’ Polynesian Migration and the Discovery of New Zealand shows the major migrations in the Pacific and the estimated dates of Polynesian dispersal. It suggests the origins of Polynesians started with a migration from Taiwan circa 1500 BC, as mentioned in RNZ's educational series The Aotearoa History Show. Looking at direct Polynesian ancestors who migrated to New Zealand, they come from the general area of Society Islands, Tahiti and Rangiatea (also known as Ra’iatea), which matches with information provided by many sources on this matter. This strongly supports the idea mentioned above about the East Polynesia region being closely connected to Māori as a physical Hawaiki of which their ancestors came from.
Map illustrating the paths and timeframe of Polynesian dispersal. [Map]. Retrieved from Evans, J., Cowan, P. (2011) Polynesian Migration and the Discovery of New Zealand. Libro International.
The causes for migration & interpretations of Polynesian migration
The causes for migration & interpretations of Polynesian migration
"On archaeological grounds it’s very hard to say that this was a normal process of colonisation – that’s if you think of normal being that somebody goes out and explores, finds something, comes back and tells people, and then a large number of people decide to move to that place."
"On archaeological grounds it’s very hard to say that this was a normal process of colonisation – that’s if you think of normal being that somebody goes out and explores, finds something, comes back and tells people, and then a large number of people decide to move to that place."
– Atholl Anderson (2015)
Due to the lack of written historical records on the Great Fleet, the migration movement of Polynesians to Aotearoa, it is relatively challenging for historians to identify the exact causes of Polynesian migration to Aotearoa. Also as a consequence of the lack of clear historical records, there are some conflicting theories on the causes of the migration movement. But it is mostly agreed that the migration movement was due to the complex socio-political situation amongst different communities in the region, which led to the mass movement away from East Polynesia to Aotearoa.
Many sources suggested that an emergency state was the reason Polynesian chose to migrate away from their homeland. Both RNZ’s The Aotearoa History Show and local indigenous history expert Keelan Walker suggested that a natural disaster like a volcanic eruption, potentially in Indonesia at around 1257, may have caused a chain reaction which consequently caused many problems such as food crops being destroyed, and lack of resources. This led to conflict between groups for kai and resources, and soon became one of the greatest reasons which influenced groups of Polynesians to migrate. New Zealand archeologist Atholl Anderson explained the social setting of the Homeland at the time: “Traditional stories tell of a time of strive, on inter-lineage dispute, raiding of gardens and disagreements over access to resources... and as a result of that period of skirmishing and warfare, some groups... were effectively compelled to leave. There’s nothing in the traditions that says that they were told to go anywhere, it just says that they left.” This shows that the unsettling socio-political background between Polynesian groups most likely contributed to many decisions to leave the homeland, both urgent and more thought-out, planned migrations.
And so large, independent groups of Polynesians left for Aotearoa. The urgency of their decision to come to Aotearoa is debated amongst historians and academic sources. On one hand, Keelan Walker and Atholl Anderson both agreed that there is evidence which shows that the ancestors had to leave in a hurry. This is a reasonable hypothesis considering the intensifying warfare in the area during that time. Academic Journal Mass Migration and the Polynesian Settlement of New Zealand, however, argues that the migration to Aotearoa was a planned mass migration, due to the diversity in mDNA tracing on remains of Wairau Bar that suggests the founding settlers were a significant number of people, which requires great planning and abundance of food and resources for everyone on the waka. All sources agree on the permanence of the move to Aotearoa; Keelan Walker stated that the ancestors “got no intentions of returning to Hawaiki in the Pacific Islands.” This conclusion was based on the rituals done in Aotearoa after landing like waka burials, and environmental factors like upwind which physically prevents most attempts to cross the ocean from Aotearoa to East Polynesia. As experienced navigators, Polynesians potentially knew about this environmental characteristic, and planned the voyage to Aotearoa to minimise attempts to return to chaotic Hawaiki. Archeologist Geoff Irwin also talks about the deliberate system set up by Polynesians to record and discover the Pacific Ocean area, to scan for new land: “I think they went upwind to central East Polynesia before they came South. Everytime the canoes went out and found something, the information was coming back.” Considering the importance of this move for the Polynesian population at the time for their survival, it is likely that the idea of migration has been presented after Kupe found Aotearoa, and further attempts to recreate this journey before a mass migration may have happened. The escalation of conflict may have sped up the process of migration, but it is reasonable to say that a substantial amount of planning was put into place to ensure the safety of everyone on the waka, as well as their life after landing at their destination.
Stelle, L.J., Goldie, C. (1898) The Arrival of the Maoris in New Zealand [Oil painting].
Semu, G. (2014-16) The Raft of the Tagata Pasifika (People of the Pacific) [Artwork].
A Eurocentric interpretation of the Great Fleet is the painting The arrival of the Maoris in New Zealand (sic.) by Louis John Steele and Charles Goldie. Known as one of the most famous artworks ever done by one of New Zealand’s best known artists, the painting depicts the Polynesian settlers as malnourished, who went through a journey of desperation and trauma, one that lacks deliberate planning and upheld the idea that Polynesian settlers landed in Aotearoa by accident. The relevance of this painting remains within New Zealand society as this is many people’s perception of the Polynesian arrivals in Aotearoa, showing the effects of the Eurocentric narrative on the public’s past and present understanding of historically significant moments for Māori history. Photographer Greg Samu recreated the Steele-Goldie painting, for it to be “dramatised, powerful, emotional,” and most importantly, truly reflective of the efforts and knowledge that their Polynesian ancestors had to execute a challenging voyage as the one from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. In Samu’s art piece, the depicted Polynesian ancestors looked empowering and physically strong, representing the fact that Polynesian came on this journey with purpose and determination. Samu’s art piece is one of direct contrast to the Steele-Goldie painting, and it represents the changes of narrative on Māori history, from a Eurocentric mindset towards an indigenous view, where Māori knowledge and achievements are shown and appreciated.
Significance of navigation & exploration in Māori and Pasifika cultures
Significance of navigation & exploration in Māori and Pasifika cultures
Being such an integral aspect of Polynesian traditions, the navigation and exploration of the Pacific Ocean has great cultural and personal significance for Māori and Polynesians alike. These cultural and contemporary stories give an insight into what voyaging meant for Māori and Polynesian and their voyaging heritage, and how these values are passed down to the younger generation.
Matahi Brightwell is a waka ama tohunga, an expert on waka. He talked about his experiences in open sea voyaging around Tahiti, Ra’iatea, Rarotonga and Aotearoa, and the significance of his voyages around Hawaiki for his identity and Māori identity in general. “People think I just built it and sailed it for the reputation of helping the Māori culture, and to a certain extent that is true. But I also built it to bring the oceans and canoe culture back to our people. I also built it to help my ancestors.” Matahi’s dedication to traditional sea voyaging did not only stop at his own personal callings towards Hawaiki, it was his effort to inspire and reconnect Māori to important parts of their heritage that was lost through the process of assimilation to life a permanent life in Aotearoa, or through colonisation: and these connections are ocean navigation and Hawaiki – the homeland. This clearly shows the cultural significance of voyaging, discovery, and the spiritual belief in Hawaiki in Māori culture, even if the spread of Māori knowledge was limited due to the Eurocentric views of society at the time.
Image of Matahi Brightwell with one of his projects (n.d.). Retrieved from Evans, J., Cowan, P. (2011) Polynesian Migration and the Discovery of New Zealand.
Walt Disney Animation Studios. (2016, September 16). Moana Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube.
The Disney animated movie Moana, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is a contemporary example of how the process of migration and the significance of open sea voyaging and navigating in Māori and other Polynesian cultures are passed down to the young generation today. The movie crew have gone through extensive research on Polynesian cultures, collaborating with locals to work on the representation of general Polynesian traditions like the demigods in legend stories, open sea voyaging and migration in the movie. Moana successfully depicted the process of discovery and mass migration in a loose interpretation, in order to entertain, but also educate and inspire the younger generation of Polynesians today of their rich cultures and connections with the ocean. Notorious for being inconsiderate towards indigenous groups in its production, the effort that Disney put into the production of Moana also shows a positive change in the representation of indigenous people and cultures in modern media. And though the movie had its fair share of controversies, it is a valuable movie for young Māori and Polynesian generations to see themselves and their culture represented in the media, giving them power to embrace and learn about their rich culture of the past and today.
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