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396 History

FIND OUT MORE. Exploration 400–401 • New Zealand 425

MAORIS

WHY DID PEOPLE SET SAIL FOR POLYNESIA?

The islands in southeast Asia, where settlers travelled

from, were probably over-populated. This would have

meant the farmland was exhausted, forests had been

cut down, and the soil had eroded away. There may

also have been wars between rival islanders,

competing for food and land. But some sailors may

have been adventurous, eager to explore new lands.

HOW DID THE SETTLERS NAVIGATE?

Settlers travelled in double-hulled canoes, which had

sails made of matting. They observed stars, clouds,

ocean swells, migrating birds, and te lapa (rays of light

reflected underwater from land), and made maps from

sticks, pebbles, and shells. Using these techniques, they

reached distant islands like Hawaii, and also New

Zealand, where settlers called themselves. MAORIS.

1 THE POLYNESIAN TRIANGLE

The islands of Polynesia cover an

area of over two million sq km

(over 800,000 sq miles). Roughly

shaped like a triangle, New

Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island

are at its points. It took many

days to sail between groups of

islands. Settlers carried farm tools

and food plants, to help them

survive when they landed.

Statues portray

ancestors,

or gods

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PEOPLE OF

EASTER ISLAND?

The giant rapa nui statues were erected

on Easter Island before 1200, cutting down

numerous trees. Around 1600 the soil began to

erode as the last trees were felled. The islanders could

neither fish, as they had no wood for boats, nor farm.

The population declined sharply, leading to social unrest.

Polynesia is a group of scattered islands in the vast

Pacific Ocean. Around 2000 BCE, families made

long, dangerous journeys to settle there. The

settlers arrived with pigs, dogs, and chickens.

They built thatched wooden houses, gathered

bananas, coconuts, and breadfruit, and fished.

STONE STATUES 3

Easter Island (also called Rapa

Nui) was the furthest east that the

settlers reached. They arrived in

500 CE. Using simple tools of

stone and wood, they built many

moai (stone statues). Some

were 10 m (33 ft) high.

Settlers first reached New Zealand around 800 CE. At first they

lived in small, peaceful groups but, as the population grew,

they became more war-like. Around 1500, they began

to build fortified hilltop settlements,

called pa. They decorated buildings

with woodcarvings, and tattooed their

skins with swirling designs.

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR MAORIS?

The climate of New Zealand was colder

and wetter than the settlers’ home islands,

so they had to adapt to their new

environment. They hunted giant flightless

birds, called moa, in the forests. They killed

seals and gathered shellfish around the coast.

4 HEITIKI IN SHAPE OF HUMAN FIGURE

This heitiki (greenstone neck ornament) was a

sacred heirloom – it symbolized the mana (prestige) of

the clan. It was also meant to link humans with gods.

NEW ZEALAND

Polynesia

HAWAII

SOUTHEAST

ASIA

AUSTRALIA

NORTH

AMERICA

SOUTH

AMERICA

EASTER

ISLAND

POLYNESIA

Polynesia