Political : The peaceful land of Aotearoa
Take this post any way you like - it is simply an observation....
There is no doubt that Maori have been treated badly by the British Government and many old books by Europeans certainly support this. Some are listed below.
1807 - Savage, John. Some Account Of New Zealand
1817 - Nicholas, J. L. Narrative of a Voyage to New Zealand [Vol.I]
1824 - Cruise, R. Journal of a Ten Months' Residence in New Zealand
1829 - Dillon, P. Narrative and Successful Result of a Voyage... Vol. I.
1832 - Earle, A. A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand, in 1827
The general view by many who do not know this countries true history very well, is that Maori were a peaceful people living a gentle utopic life before the Europeans arrived. That is partly true yet far from the truth, and the multitude of defensive Pa scattered around the entire country are testament to this. As are their own stories and legends of murders, revenge killings, dawn raids (the best time to do one - and no, this has nothing to do with the recent news, it's just a historical fact of many tribal attacks worldwide. We have to say this because the weak read offense into almost everything), and of the many battles between tribes.
Pa defending against tribal attack
Just a note. for those unaware - there were no people called 'Maori' before the Europeans arrived. They did not call themselves Maori. They were actually a group of extraordinary, but fiercely opposing, tribes scattered over the whole land. And while tribal existence might be generally sedate, there were seasons when tribes went to war, and war was often sparked by the same spiritual/cultural transgression that any Europeans would see as trivial, yet the Maori saw as offensive and annoying to the gods. Some tribes would band together (an alliance of sorts), sometimes through intermarriage, and sometimes through absolute necessity of survival.
Whilst those who we now call as Maori (means 'ordinary people' in their own language) have many wonderful and beautiful traditions, superstitions and practices, they also have the opposite traits - as with any race. Infanticide, cannibalism, desecration of corpses, treachery after feigning friendship, slavery, will for dominance, genocide; all these things were present before (and after), the Europeans arrived.
Most of the battles before the musket (which members of the Nga Puhi tribe used to devastating effect in their genocide campaigns), were probably no more than basic gang skirmishes by today’s standards. Deaths would have been in the tens, not hundreds, and injuries would have been more the norm. Many stories tell of Utu (revenge) upon members of opposing tribes for some offense, an offense which may have even festered for many successive generations. Those cases are thus - one dies, therefore retribution is required and a few are killed in that retribution, then a small war breaks out until the stalemate of ‘lack of superiority’ is recognised and a strained peace is held until maybe another offence occurs in the future. When we say ‘stalemate of superiority’, we mean the fact that unless you had overwhelming numbers or a sudden advantage of surprise, fighting was generally equal in that no tribe has superior weapon or techniques or strategies unknown to the other… that is until the musket arrived. With the musket in the hands of one tribe, a wholesale series of genocides occurred in this country and those genocides are almost never talked about in schools or as accepted history because (primarily) it’s easier to talk about offense of the white skins than genocide among and by one’s own race.
Some will know that NZ history will now be taught in schools in 2022. But will all of NZ's history be taught? Apparently not. Only 60% of it will because there is no mention in the curriculum of the musket wars (The NZ genocides). Even a Waitangi Tribunal member and historian says the Ministry of Education’s draft curriculum for compulsory teaching of New Zealand history, has made a major omission by leaving out the Musket Wars. So NZ, here me and take note - our true history is going to be whitewashed, supported by Iwi and the Labour Government. Now let that sink in a while......
Genocide it was, but it is not a racial issue, it a human one. What race could claim to be completely innocent of it. To be fair, the Europeans in various places around the world were no better. Sure, they didn’t practice infanticide or cannibalism but treachery, slavery, dominance and genocide was committed by them too. Let’s make it very clear, this is not bashing any colour, as all humans are both good and bad, but it focuses on what 'certain' races would rather hide or forget that pertain to their own proclivities. That statement is not racism, it’s a simple historic fact of avoidance of the truth. And in accusing anyone of racism where the latter attempts to bring that ’forgotten’ history to attention, reveals racism exists within the accuser as it’s easier to do that than face something one would or could be embarrassed about. And while that is a natural human reaction, it's not one that can be sustained without hypocrisy being strongly evident. No pakaha could deny the things that the Crown did to Maori, and no Maori could deny what Maori did to European or what Maori did to Maori, both before 1790, or after. Proportions aside, even if they did deny it, it's does not change the fact those things happened.
The British took the Aboriginals land, The American took the Indians land, the Spanish took the South Americans land, the Maori took the Mori-Ori’s land and the Polynesians took the Lapitas islands. The Hawaiians took what belonged to the Menhune, Modern China took Tibet, Imperial China took Vietnam and North Korea, the Romans took the Gauls and Celts land, the Greeks took the Crimea and even parts of France, the Vikings took parts of England, Phoenicians took Morocco, Russia took Alaska, and it goes on, and on, and on, and on, far back into history.
The same things all mankind are guilty of, were happening long before Cook ever left England… long before. In fact - ‘war’ was going on in these islands of NZ for some 400 years prior to Cook arriving and what do you think it was over mostly? Land! Yes, land and the rights of who could claim tracts of land, where the borders were, and which tribe was truly aligned to that land. Even now in 2021 a dispute between Marutūāhu of Hauraki and Ngati Whatua of Orakei exists... over land claimed by both! Even now... It never ends.
Let’s not forget the numbers of tribes that were displaced by other tribes, and whose ‘traditional’ land was taken by another tribe, who were often supplanted by yet another stronger tribe in time. Kai Tahu and Ngati Mamoe are two successive examples. Here is a truth - If Europeans has not been here for the last 230 years, tribal boundaries would have been changed many times over by war and conquest, just as they had been over the preceding 430 years. That is a fact based on the past proven NZ history.... and basic human nature.
In addition, Europeans are accused of decimating many species of native flora and fauna. Of course, this is entirely true. But less spoken of (almost unspoken and that which some wish to never speak of, yet is equally true) are the wholesale burning of forests prior to Europeans arriving along with the extinction of some of the world’s most iconic species. The bare-faced facts are that those we call Maori are solely responsible for the extinction of 26 species, 23 of those before Europeans arrived. Europeans are responsible so far, for 21 extinctions. That means mathematically and historically, that Maori have had the worst effect on animal life in this country, even now! That is an indisputable fact and whether you like it or not, it remains a fact. But the rhetoric of Maori in the media never mentions it. "Look what Europeans have done to Te Wao nui o Tane," they say as an accusation! Yes, we can see that and agree with it... "and look at what you did before they arrived", is what the media should be saying saying to provide balance (if balance was at all possible in NZ's lame group of gutless media!).
However... let's make it clear that loss of flora and fauna in this country is ultimately not a racial one, but a historical and fully human one. Where Maori (through media), accuse Pakeha of adverse effects to this country (bordering on some inaccurate racial superiority in regard to earth care), we will continue to point out the correct statistics. Those statistics are that Maori have caused more extinctions in this land than the Europeans - this is a proven fact. Be careful - you academic Maori, for these facts will surface every time racist bigotry toward Europeans occurs, and more so publically in the next 18 months...
Haast eagle and Moa: 2 of the most iconic birds
destroyed hundreds of years prior to European arrival
We could put up a link to many articles covering all the things we have talked about that happened in this land, but it would be better research them for yourself. You should do it to find a place where you can cannot say that one race is any better (although larger/stronger races often committed more of it), but to acknowledge that all human races are guilty of it. All races in which began as one and whose blood flows red, are guilty of it. And once we all recognise that, and that the 'race card' is just a pathetic excuse for the blame of crimes that we all commit... we can finally move forward as a nation to being better people.
But to be honest, that may never occur without some huge, shocking, unbelievable, shakeup of belief. And maybe our 8’ skeletons will do that? We cannot see any better reason for them to be finally exposed to the public’s knowledge. Can you?
