It is 2021 and there is a move in New Zealand to teach our history in our schools. This move can only be applauded. The teaching of the history of a country is at least as important as the hard sciences and in some ways, even more important.
However, the commentary I have heard so far suggests that this may become a pakeha* bashing exercise. True the people of European origin have much to answer for in New Zealand, and for that matter all over the world and I will leave the exposure of European abuses to those that have been disadvantaged by European actions. Here, for balance, I would like to present a few salient facts that should also be taught, so that this doesn't turn into a Pakeha - bad, Maori -good, exercise. If you want to teach history then actually teach history.
*People of European ancestry or even people of non Pacific heritage.
Bear with me for a moment.
For the past 2.75million years, the world has been in an Ice Age. Throughout this ice age, there have been many alterations between glacial periods and interglacial periods. We are in the latest interglacial known as the Holocene and the previous interglacial around 125,000 years ago is known as the Eemian. This sequence extends back for the whole 2.75 million years with between 30 and 50 separate cycles, depending on how you define this. Why do I mention this.
The fauna of New Zealand, consisting mainly of birds, has survived, evolved and thrived through all of this climate variation right up until the arrival of the 'First People' from the Pacific. Then much of this rich fauna disappeared in a geological instant. All over the world this happened, not just in New Zealand and some scientists hypothesize that the extinctions were due to climate change. Pretty hard to support this argument when the fauna of so many continents managed multiple, extreme climate changes quite nicely, thank you very much, until man arrived.
The fauna of the Americas for instance, disappeared around 12,000 years ago, the Fauna of Australia, 50,000 years ago and of New Zealand some 700 years ago.
The point is that despite what they maintain, the Maori are no different than all the other people of the world, They may have come lately to some ecological knowledge, promoted by the disappearance of so many species. And we Europeans, at least some of us, have come to the same realization - rather at the 11th hour also. However for the Maori to present themselves as the great guardians of nature is to put them on a pedicile that they don't deserve. If some of them are ecologically aware now, and would never consider killing a native pigeon for food* - great - but many many people of European origin are also now ecologically aware.
One part of honest teaching would deal with the extinction of the mega fauna of New Zealand and many lesser sized species by the first people.
*Recently a Maori chief killed some Kereru (native pigeon) to eat, claiming it was his traditional right.
Then we come to wars. At the time that Europeans arrived in New Zealand, all of the North Island and a portion of South Island was taken up by Maori tribes with the boarders fluctuating according to which tribe won the latest battle. It was a constant theme of the time to raid other tribes, take slaves and booty and eat some of the losers.
There is no question that Europeans had superior armament and did displace Maori to gain land for farming. In many cases they bought the land with muskets and other trade goods, (not always from the owners of the land). In fact, at the time there were no individual owners of the land and the Maori concept of land ownership was that the tribe owned the land as long as they could hold on to it against other tribes.
The different concepts of land ownership led to many conflicts, as it did in many other parts of the world, as the Maori saw the land that they considered theirs, alienated from them. This is in no way to exonerate the Europeans and their actions but as I said, I will leave the Maori perspective to the Maoris to present.
A chief of the Ngapuhi tribe, Hongi Hika (Hone Heke sp?) was taken to the UK and much feted. He was given many valuable presents and when he arrived back in Australia on the way to New Zealand, he sold the presents to get money to buy muskets. Other tribes had been trading for muskets for some time but Honi's level of armament far exceeded what they had. He used the muskets to range far and wide in New Zealand and conquer other tribes. The balance had been completely upset and he caused huge destruction and even caused the elimination of some tribes. This was the attitude of the time. Might is right and the devil take the hinder-most*.
* As it was amongst the Europeans in Europe. The were in constant war with each other.
Incidentally, the Treaty of Waitangi, which is considered the founding document of New Zealand which was between many of the Maori tribes and the British crown, was considered the starting point. Honi Hike trashed the other tribes of New Zealand before this date so the decimated tribes have no recourse. Hardly just for a people that claim they are trying for justice. If the Maori and especially the Ngapuhi tribe are truly after justice, then they should compensate tribes that they decimated before the Treaty of Waitangi and not use the legaeze excuse that everything starts from the Treaty. In fact, the compensation they give to other tribes should come from their treaty settlement money and land they now consider their own should be given back to these tribes.
It should be mentioned here that, at the time, there were many in the UK that objected to New Zealand becoming a colony despite her huge natural resources. They felt, quite rightly, that the native population would be exploited as had happened in other colonies of the UK. The counter argument was that the sailors, whalers, sealers and others were corrupting the Maori and a government was necessary to control this abysmal situation. The musket wars by Honi were one of the reasons that the British crown decided to sign a treaty with the Maori and make New Zealand a colony.
Then we come to the Moriori and what happened to them.
The Moriori lived on the Chatam Islands and unlike other Maori tribes, were a peaceful people. Non violence was 'their thing'. A group of Maori hitched a ride over to the Chatams on a European sailing ship and slaughtered them.
This is just a taste. If you are going to teach history, then teach history. The European behavior has much to be regretted but so does the Maori behavior.
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