SOURCE4 Many paintings of early European arrivals to Polynesia, such as View of Huaheine by John Clevely the Younger, c. 1788, show a very romantic view of those early encounters.
The four periods of the history of the M̄aori Nḡa k̄akano (800–1200 CE)
Te tipunga (1200–1500 CE)
The East Polynesian or Archaic period, also referred to as Nḡa k̄akano (meaning ‘the seeds’), spanned from about 800 to 1200 CE. This is the time of the first Polynesian settlers and their immediate descendants. The people of this period are also known as the moa hunters. It was a time of discovery and adaptation to the new land. The farming way of life did not immediately develop in Aotearoa because the moa hunters survived well on a hunter–gatherer lifestyle.
The Te tipunga period (meaning ‘the growth’), began on the North Island during the thirteenth century and had spread across Aotearoa by the sixteenth century. It was the era of expansion, when the M̄aori discovered and settled the more remote areas of their land and began developing their unique cultural traditions, beliefs andart.
Te puawaitanga (1500–1800 CE)
Te huringa (1800–present)
The Classical M̄aori period dated from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. During this time, the earliest European explorers and settlers of Aotearoa recorded the features of M̄aori classical society and culture. This period is known as Te puawaitanga (the flowering), because it is regarded as the time when the most beautiful M̄aori art was created.
The final period from the nineteenth century to the present is known as Te huringa (the turning point), because it is the time of increased M̄aori contact with Europeans and the introduction of the modern world into M̄aori culture.
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. When do you think the photographs a) and b) were taken? 2. Do you think there were any significant changes in M̄aori carving techniques between the first and the second photograph? 3. Why were carvings like these made, and why are they still popular?
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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