Source: arriving and making a home

Māori are tangata whenua—the people of the land—in Aotearoa New Zealand. Their ancestors came from eastern Polynesia by ocean voyaging. Archaeological evidence indicates that people were living in Aotearoa by about the 13th century CE, although the precise timing and details of settlement continue to be studied. The ancestors of Māori brought knowledge, plants and practices from Polynesia, then adapted them to new environments. A waka hourua is a double-hulled voyaging canoe. Ocean navigators could use stars, the rising and setting points of the sun, ocean swells, winds, clouds, and signs of land or birds. These skills relied on close observation and knowledge passed between generations. A long voyage required planning, cooperation and the ability to respond to changing conditions. Māori traditions tell of ancestors, waka and journeys. Accounts and names vary between iwi, and Hawaiki has more than one meaning in Māori traditions, including an ancestral homeland. Stories, whakapapa (genealogies), waiata (songs) and place names can carry historical knowledge. They are not simply interchangeable with archaeological evidence: each kind of source has its own context and strengths. Historians compare sources carefully and recognise that some questions may not have one universally agreed answer.