Societal Context: Module 5

For Module 5 of the Societal Context, we were given the task to analyze the impacts of technology has or had on the indigenous people of New Zealand which are the Maori. Adding on, a comparison would also be made between the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, with another indigenous society from another part of the world on how technology has affected the specific society. For this element of the e-Portfolio, I have decided to talk about the indigenous society called the Aborigines; an indigenous society from New Zealand’s neighboring country, Australia.

Introduction

The Maori

The Maori (Segdeha, n.d.)

The Maori are the native people of New Zealand which originated from the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Based on several researches and discoveries, the Maoris first set foot on New Zealand’s soil in the 13th century via numerous waka, also known as canoe in English, journeys over a noteworthy amount of time These journeys done by the Maori has established that the native people of New Zealand are one of the greatest navigators of all time and are also resourceful and daring adventurers (Maori.com, 2013).

Over numerous centuries in isolation, the Maori has managed to develop a distinctive culture which consists of the Maori language, rich mythologies, performing arts and distinctive crafts. Earlier Maori people formed tribes, based on their eastern Polynesian organizations and social customs. Horticulture flourished using plants introduced by the Maori themselves, and later on a prominent warrior culture arose (Houghton, 1980).

The Aborigines

The Aborigines (Word Press, 2010)

The earliest inhabitants of Australia are known as the Aborigines or the Koori, a name given by the Aborigines themselves. Classifying the Aborigines race was a difficult task for researches. However, numerous researches concluded that the Aborigines are classified as Australoid, together with certain similar Polynesian and Asian peoples. Adding on, the Aborigines might have come from the Southeastern Asia about 50,000 years ago (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

Originally, the Aborigines were food gatherers and hunters. Boomerangs, spears and throwing clubs were their main hunting equipment. Furthermore, the Aborigines in the past did not plant crops since most of the time they would gather or hunt their food down, and their only tamed animal was a dog that can only be found in Australia call the Dingo. Each of the almost 500 Aborigines tribes has their very own spoken dialect and the dialects are different amongst the 500 Aborigines tribes (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

Most of the Aborigines in the past only wore ornaments and nothing else; numerous Aborigines tribes used kangaroo skin to make them into cloaks for cold weathers that they might encounter. Other than that, the Aborigines also did not know the existence of metal back then. Nevertheless, the religious ceremonies, taboos, social organizations and marriage rules of the Aborigines tribes were well developed and sophisticated (HowStuffWorks, 2013).

The Impacts of Technology 

Many indigenous societies worldwide have been affected by the introduction of new technologies coming from foreign visitors for hundreds of years. However, there are some indigenous societies that did not change the way they live their life, but there are some indigenous societies that have completely alter their worldviews, entire societies and self-identities (Johnson, n.d.). The impacts of technology towards the Maori and the Aborigines are explained and compared:-

Historical

The Maori

Usually, the day for the Maori society begins early. The day starts off with singing and prayers to worship the rising sun. The Maori’s daily routine is mostly focused on getting food for the society, so most of the Maori people spent their days in activities like (Derby, 2013):-

• Planting

Kumara (Caroline, n.d.)

The plants that the Maori people have brought to New Zealand and survived the journey were gourd (hue), taro, yam (uwhi) and kumara. The Maori people were able to successfully nurture the kumara at latitudes well south of its usual growing capacity. The Maori was able to achieve this by maintaining the tubers alive in storage pits over the cold weather months and utilizing the sun’s warmness during the planting season. The kumara was planted in mounds of stones and earth. The stones were used to absorb the sun’s heat, thus providing the warmth needed for the kumara to grow (Auckland Museum, 2001).

In order to nurture the plants, the Maori people must first prepare the nurturing area. Firstly, scrubs would be burnt and the ashes produced by the scrubs will be used as fertilizer. The earth would be then loosened by using a tool call the ko; a pointed digging stick. Then, gravel and sand would be scattered over heavy clay soils to break the soil up. The Maori people would then build windbreaks to protect the plantation and smoke pesticide were created by burning kauri gum or kawakawa leaves to repel the caterpillars away from the plantation. Ketu and timo will be used to weed the plantation. All the planting equipment was made using hard wood such as manuka and matai. The equipment was held together with aka, a tough pliant stem of climbing plants. Timo was created from a forked branch, hence no assembling is required (Auckland Museum, 2001).

A Kumara planting scene of the past: Diggers using the Ko preparing the ground for the Kumara seed tubers. They work in unison, to the sound of a chant (G. Lindauer, n.d.)

The moon and stars were observed carefully by the Maori people for each phase of the nurturing process. The presence of certain constellations would indicate the coming of a new season and also tells the Maori people when to begin harvesting or planting (Auckland Museum, 2001).

• Fishing

Fishing Equipment (Leach, 2008)

Fishing techniques was already developed amongst the Maori people even before they stepped foot on New Zealand soil. This is due to fishing techniques being well developed throughout Polynesia. The first Maori settlers brought established technologies with them. Technologies like dredges, traps, spears, lures, nets and hooks (Auckland Museum, 2001).

A plant called flax was used to make fishing nets and lines instead of coconut fibres and other plant materials. Paua shell had replaced mother of pearl shell on fishing lures to attract the fishes. Manuka branches or vines was used to make fish traps due to its flexibility (Auckland Museum, 2001).

• Hunting

Taiaha (Kiwi2go, 2012)

Researchers have discovered clubs or short weapons and a long weapon, a spear, in Polynesia. Due to New Zealand’s richness of forest trees, new long weapons was able to be produced by the Maori and also the long weapons became more specialized. Same goes for the short weapons or clubs (Crown, 2013).

Tewhatewha (Kiwi2go, 2012)

The two main long weapons used by the Maori people were the tewhatewha and the taiaha. Both of the weapons were unique due to its lightness and can be used equally by both hands. These two weapons can only be wielded by a skillful hunter who is an expert in rapid manipulation and speed of movement (Crown, 2013).

The patu, short club-like weapons, were made from either stones, bones or wood. The patu pounamu or the meremere was known to be the most extremely prized weapons. This is due to the material it was made from which the greenstone and these weapons are usually handed down within family members as an inheritance (Crown, 2013).

Patu Pounamu (Richard, 2011)

Adults and children would work alongside each other, and Maori Chiefs would also work with their tribe’s people. The first mealtime would begin somewhere around mid-morning. As the sun slowly starts to set, workers would return to their village with food already prepared at the village and everyone would eat together. The Maori would then spend the rest of their evening with conversations and games. Once in a while, the Maori people would pray to the setting sun. Once darkness strikes, the entire village would just go to slumber (Derby, 2013).

However, the traditional life in the Maori society started to change when European traders and explorers stepped foot on New Zealand soil. The Europeans traded new foods like pigs and potatoes, and also new technology were introduced to the Maori people as well; technology such as muskets, also known as guns, and iron tools. This meant less time was needed to gather or grow food for the society. However, the muskets meant more intertribal wars will be waged and more people would die in those intertribal wars (Derby, 2013).

A Musket (Capital Times, 2010)

Some of the Maori people started to get involve in trading timber, flax or food with the Europeans and this sometimes takes them away from their homes and families. Other than that, missionaries arrived during 1814 and this resulted to children attending mission schools and is taught about the European concepts of time. Reading became the most favorite pastime in the society (Derby, 2013).

Wars were waged between numerous tribes and government forces during the mid-to-late 1800s, this made several Maori tribes to start following the European way of life. However, other Maori tribes that did not follow the ways of the European, mainly the Maori tribes that had their land taken by the government after the wars, returned to their usual traditional way of life (Derby, 2013).

The Aborigines

Stone Tips Tools (Jayne, 2012)

Implements and tools reveal the geographical location of different Aborigines groups. For example, Aborigines that is from the desert tribes used stone tips to shape their weapons, while the Aborigines from the coastal tribes uses fishbone to shape their weapons. Even though the tools are different amongst the Aborigines tribes, implements such as digging sticks, knives, axe-heads, scrapers, spears and various vessels for drinking and eating can be found amongst all the Aborigines tribes (Australia Government, 2007).

Fishbone Tips Tools (National Museum Australia, n.d.)

The Aborigines were able to achieve two worlds first by using stone technology. Firstly, the Aborigines were the first people to introduce seed grinding and to have ground edges on their cutting tools. The Aborigines used stone implements for several reasons. The reasons are to prepare animal skins, to make other implements, to chop wood and to get or prepare food. Fish traps were also made out of stones and are used in rivers where the water level would rise and fall (Australia Government, 2007).

Aborigines Tools and Weapons Made Out of Different Materials (Live Auctioneers, 2013)

After the Europeans have discovered Australia and the English Colonization, the Aborigines realized that the combining of ceramics, glass and metals into their daily tools and implements were very beneficial for them. These newly developed tools and implements had a sharper edge, needed less re-sharpening and were easier to work with compared to the olden stone tools and implements. Even though stone tools and implements have benefitted the Aborigines in the past, most of the new tools and implements created by the Aborigines were made of perishable materials such as fibre and wood. Spears, boomerangs and clubs are some of the new tools and implements that have been created and commonly used by the Aborigines (Australia Government, 2007).

Cultural

The Maori

In Maori Mythology, The Primal Couple Rangi and Papa Appear in a Creation Myth Explaining the Origin of the World. This Sculpture is Carved in an Ancient Tree (Belly Buzz, 2008)

The Maori that have settled in New Zealand have developed a very distinctive culture. Maori legend has it that the Maori people have travelled over a long distance from the island of Hawaiki; a mythical homeland in Polynesia. The Maori people have travelled to New Zealand with large ocean-going canoes call the waka. The Maori people also had a very distinctive mythology consisting of heroes and gods, sharing some Polynesia motifs. Papa and Rangi, Kupe and Maui are some of the notable hero and god figures (Binney, 2010).

The marae was the central to many cultural ceremonies. Tribes and families would gather around so special ceremonies like tangi or powhiri. The Maori people were often known as the people of the land or in Maori, tangata whenua, placing specific importance on a lifestyle related to sea and land. Sharing, communal living and living off the land were strong traditional morals for the Maori (Binney, 2010).

A Marae at Kaitotehe, Near Taupiri Mountain, Waikato District, 1844. It was Associated with Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, a Chief who became the First Māori King (Wikipedia, 2013)

The distinct morals, worldview and history of the Maori people are shown through traditional skills and arts like poi, carving, weaving, ta moko, waiata and haka. The conception of tapu, which means sacred or taboo, is also strongly practiced within the Maori culture, applied to people, objects or even mountains (Binney, 2010).

Traditional Maori Carvings (Sea Breeze Souvenirs, n.d.)

During the late 18th century, the Europeans arrived in New Zealand in increasing amount of numbers. This resulted in new weapon technologies and foreign diseases brought by the Europeans, hence weakened the Maori society. After the year 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was created and the Maori lost many of their authority, prestige and lands, entering a period of numerical and cultural deterioration. However, everything changed during the 19th century when the Maori population began to rise again and a cultural revival known as the Maori Renaissance began in the 1960s (Binney, 2010).

The Aborigines

An Aborigines Perfoming a Fire Lighting Ceremony (Cairns, 2013)

The Aborigines culture consists of numerous amounts of ceremonies and practices focused on a belief in the Dreamtime. Respect for the verbal traditions and the land are accentuated. Tribal divisions and language groupings exhibit a variety of distinctive cultures. The Aborigines art has been around for thousands of years and consists of ancient rock arts to modern watercolor paintings. The Aborigines also has developed a number of unique musical instruments. Modern-day Aborigines music is the country’s main music genre. However, the Aborigines never did develop any kind of writing system (Flanagan, 1998).

Aborigines Traditional Rock Arts (

Sadly, during the European colonization, the Aborigines went through a life of suffer. The Aborigines would either be chased out of their lands or be killed by foreign diseases brought by the Europeans. Due to the Aborigines being nomadic hunter-gatherers, hunting and gathering food was a difficult task during the European colonization because it prevented the Aborigines from being able to roam freely over their lands in search for food; hence the Aborigines faced a serious issue of starvation Discovery Communication, 2011).

Aborigines People Forced into Slavery by the Europeans (Drummer, 2013)

If the starvation issue did not kill the Aborigines, they would be forced into slavery and this would kill the Aborigines instead. The Aborigines started as a group of hundreds of thousands when they discovered Australia. However, those numbers began to deplete drastically right after the European colonization. Due to all this disturbances, many of the Aborigines history and culture were lost in the chaos (Discovery Communication, 2011).

Social

The Maori

A Maori Family (James, 1870)

The Maori society was based on small independent sub-tribes living in harbors, valleys and other areas. The Maori society’s histories are filled with stories of armed conflict and New Zealand’s many sculpted ridges and hills, which resembles the relics of fortifications, are evidence of the significance of warfare within the Maori society (Charles, 2013).

Polygamy and cannibalism was a feature within the Maori society. Furthermore, technology back then was limited and tools needed to be made from natural occurring material like pounamu, a greenstone, and tuhua, obsidian. Materials such as flax were also used for weaving and other purposes. These goods were a common trade, usually in a form of gift exchanging (Charles, 2013).

A Drawing Showing The Maori Tribe Practicing Cannibalism (Googler, 2013)

After the arrival of the Europeans in the early 1800s, the entire Maori society just changed. Among the European travelers were missionaries. This made numerous amounts of Maori people converted to Christians. The Maori people also began learning how to read and began trading, specificly in potatoes and pigs (Charles, 2013).

The Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Between the British and the Maoris (Denton, 2012)

During the year 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was created and this established the British’s government and law. However, this did not stop the warfare happening in the 1840s and 1860s as the Maori people tried to defend their local authority and lands. After the wars, the Maori people lost many of their lands due to sale or confiscation done by British settlers (Charles, 2013).

The Aborigines

An Aborigines Tribe (Wilson, 1895)

Throughout Australia, different Aborigines tribes share similar characteristics. In the Aborigines tribes, the people share a sense of community, occupied a recognized territory, spoke the same language and share common customs. The Aborigines tribes often occupy the same area due to their routes overlapping each other or the share the same gathering and hunting areas (Oracle, n.d.).

Aborigine Circumcision and Initiation Ceremony (Bradshaw Foundation, n.d.)

The Aborigines tribes share their ceremonial sites and camping areas amongst each other as well. Several tribes gather together to practice their ceremonies and this is due to many of the tribes having similar ceremonial practices. The tribes would also come together to hold village meetings regarding matters like exchanging information or marriages and for trading purposes (Oracle, n.d.)

A Drawing of a Aborigines People Suffering from a Foreign Disease Brought by the Europeans (Parker, 2013)

The arrival of the European on Australia soil had a tremendous impact on the Aborigines. Their lands were taken away, the people were exposed to foreign diseases brought by the Europeans and the Aborigines tribes became involved with violent conflicts, hence resulted in the deaths of numerous amounts of the Aborigines people. The Aborigines that survived during the early decades of the colony also had an impact towards the settlement of the Europeans. The Aborigines lives started to change and also the lives of the future Aborigines generations ( Red Apple Education, 2013).

Reference

Derby, M. (2013, August 12). Daily life in Māori communities – te noho a te hapori – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/daily-life-in-maori-communities-te-noho-a-te-hapori

HowStuffWorks (2013). HowStuffWorks "Australian Aborigines". Retrieved from http://history.howstuffworks.com/australia-and-new-zealand-history/australian-aborigines.htm

Aucklan Museum (2001). Maori Technology. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=/aucklandmuseum/media/main/education/teachers_guide/teacher_resources_library/maori_education_kits/maori_09maoritechnology_1_.pdf

Australia Government (2007, December 10). Australian Indigenous tools and technology. Retrieved from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-tools-and-technology

Australian National Botanic Gardens Education Services (2000). Aboriginal Plant use and Technology. Retrieved from http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/education/programs/pdfs/aboriginal_plant_use_and_technology.pdf

Maori Tourism (2013). Maori - Culture, Language, Art and Tattoo. Retrieved from http://www.maori.com/

Wikipedia (2013, October 19). Māori people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_people

Wikipedia (2013, October 31). Culture of New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand#M.C4.81ori_culture

Johnson, A. J. (n.d.). The Impact of Technology on Indigenous People - A Pathfinder. Retrieved from https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html

Crown (2013). Weapons – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/maori-material-culture/page-9

Discovery Communications (2011). What effect did English colonization have on the Aborigines? - Curiosity. Retrieved from http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/effect-english-colonization-aborigines

Wikipedia (2013, October 24). Australian Aboriginal culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_culture

Oracle (n.d.). Indigenous Australiana Social Structure. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/C0115620/text/SocialStructure.html

Royal, C. (2013, September 11). Pre-European society – Māori – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-2