They are powerful, fierce warriors and have tattooed faces and Mike Tyson wasn’t one of them. They are the Maori! Hello, Mrs. Salisbury and fellow classmates, today I’m going to talk to you about the most interesting ancient civilization in the world. The Maori history, culture, social life, warriors and weapons.
The Maori arrived in New Zealand somewhere in the first millennium AD,coming from Tahiti and Eastern Polynesia. It has been discovered that migration occurred during the period between 800 and 1300AD. Polynesian navigator Kupe discovered New Zealand in 950AD. He named it Aotearoa-Land of the Long White Cloud. When the Europeans arrived in the 1600’s the Maori didn’t treat them well because they were looking for treasure such as gold, fur seals and free land. After awhile they became friends until 1860 when war broke out due to Maori rights written in the treaty. It lasted a decade and soon after the Maori’s were defeated.
The Maori lived in wooden open houses about the size of a small wooden cabin. In most Maori comunities, men hunted and plowed. The woman weeded, wove and cooked. Group activities included food gathering, food planting and warfare. Art was a major part of the Maori community and also poetry, tattooing and carving of wood, bone and stone. Communal buildings were decorated with wood carvings.
The Maori men wore skirts made out of leaves and grass. The Maori Chiefs would wear decorated cloaks. The women’s clothing consisted of animal fur. Tattooing among the Maori was extremely symbolic. Tattooing was done by two methods. One was by a chisel-like instrument which left permanent grooves in the face. The other was by pigmenting the skin with a tattooing comb.Tattooing is called "ta moko" in Maori. Women also received tattoos on their chin and lips.
The Maori men were fierce warriors. They would cut off their enemies head for power. The Maori had tattooed faces to scare off their enemies. The Maori weapons were stone and spears. One of the most famous weapons used was the shark tooth club. It resembled a baseball bat but smaller and wider. On the perimeter of the weapon were the shark teeth.
The Maori were an interesting ancient civilization. They arrived in New Zealand after Christ, they created tattoos and strong weapons. They were wild warriors and their homes were made of wood, they were great hunters,cooks and artists. Thank you for listening my speech and if you had a chance
to be a Maori would you be one!!!
