A challenge: Do we know our Māori history?

A challenge: Do we know our Māori history?

Can you name more than two iwi or the story of their arrival in New Zealand? When did the migrating waka arrive and how many were there? Many New Zealanders are likely to know more about Queen Victoria and Henry VIII than they do about the history of New Zealand’s tribes.

A new book presents a fresh take on New Zealand’s history, marking a turning point in the development of our national identity, according to Hon Pita Sharples. For the first time, “we are no longer looking at Māori stories through a Pakeha lens”, he says.

Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, published by Bridget Williams Books, was launched at Auckland Museum last night.The book brings together a cohesive record that charts the sweep of Māori history from its ancient origins through to the twenty-first century.

Sir Tipene O’Regan, who also spoke during the launch, said: “For the first time we will have access to an authoritative history of Māori and Moriori experience, from South China origins to the present day.

“It will make a significant contribution in bringing the peoples of New Zealand to a fuller understanding of their shared history and the possibilities of a rich future in these islands.”

Pita Sharples said: “Instead of grafting our indigenous stories onto a colonial academic and anthropological rootstock, the authors start by cultivating the history and traditions that are rooted in the landscape of Aotearoa.”

Dr Sharples said traditional tribal histories have been mostly absent from the education of most New Zealanders. Many of us struggle to name more than one or two tribes, let alone the key ancestors and the historic events they shaped.

“Now we can appreciate their natural diversity and tangled beauty, interwoven in the cloak created by Tane Whakapiripiri to adorn Papatuanuku.”

The widely respected authors, Atholl Anderson, Aroha Harris and the late Judith Binney set out to create a book for the benefit of all New Zealanders and to address a gap that they saw in our written history.

David Reeves, Museum Director of Collections & Research said Tangata Whenua would be an important source of information for readers and researchers in the years ahead.

“It is an excellent way for the Museum’s collections to reach wider audiences alongside new writing about Māori history and development in a beautifully produced and substantial volume.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media