Maori, Whales and "Whaling" an Ongoing Relationship
Maori, whales and "whaling" an ongoing relationship M W Cawthorn 53 Motuhara Road Plimmerton Published by Department of Conservation Head Office, PO Box 10-420 Wellington, New Zealand This report was commissioned by Head Office. ISSN 1171-9834 © 2000 Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10-420, Wellington, New Zealand Reference to material in this report should be cited thus: Cawthorn, M.W., 2000. Maori, whales and "whaling": an ongoing relationship. Conservation Advisory Science Notes No. 308, Department of Conservation, Wellington. Keywords: whaling, history, Polynesian navigation, Maori philosophy, Maori history. 1. Polynesian navigation The ancestors of modern Polynesians are believed to have originated in main- land Asia and moved south before island-hopping across the Pacific. Starting from Taiwan, they voyaged through the Philippines and Indonesia to western Polynesia then moved, island to island, to eastern Polynesia, the Cook Islands and Tuamotus, where the culture we recognise as Maori became established. From eastern Polynesia, and particularly Raiatea, they radiated to the north- ern and southern limits of the Polynesian triangle, Hawaii and New Zealand, respectively. These journeys were physically and intellectually demanding, requiring a sophisticated knowledge of the construction and use of large dou- ble-hulled voyaging canoes and the techniques necessary to find their way to various islands, and then to safely return home. The navigators of the canoes were of high or chiefly status, thus:"He tangata matauranga nga kaiwhakatere o nga waka". Their knowledge was passed down by oral tradition from gen- eration to generation, often through navigators' clan or "guild" systems such as existed in Tonga.
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