SkillBuilder discussion Historical significance 1. Why were the double- hulled canoes significant for the Polynesian
SOURCE3 Double-hulled canoes like this one carried the Polynesian people across the Pacific Ocean. This artwork was created in the twentieth century.
explorers in their voyages across the Pacific Ocean?
2. How did Polynesian navigators use their knowledge of stars, weather patterns and
ocean currents to explore and settle new islands?
3. Explain the historical
importance of The Great Fleet and how it relates to the ancestry of the M̄aori iwi (tribes).
The Great Fleet and the M̄aori ancestors According to M̄aori legend, the voyages of seven waka (canoes), brought Polynesian people from the land of Hawaiki, now Tahiti, in search of a new home. These seven waka were called The Great Fleet, and are believed to have transported the ancestors of the M̄aori iwi (tribes): • Tokomaru • Tainui • TeArawa • Aotea • Takitimu • Mataatua • Kurahaupo.
SOURCE4 ‘Ngawaka E. Whitu’ (The Seven Waka). This early twentieth-century song (translated into English) portrays the M̄aori legend of the arrival of the seven waka.
Seven waka landed here Paddle, paddle on Tainui, Te Arawa, Mataatua Paddle, paddle on Tokomaru, Takitimu, Kurahaupo, Aotea ra, These waka were paddled here By our ancestors
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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