isabel+history

Before the Europeans came to New Zealand, the Maori were divided into tribes. The tribes lived separated from other tribes. The Maori were nomads, which means they moved from place to place after which season it were. In fall and winter they lived in the woods for hunting, and in summer they moved to the ocean for fishing, they also grew sweet potatoes there.

The Maori were a really warlike people, reasons why they had wars were if someone from another tribe stole something, killed someone or teased the chief.

The Europeans first came to New Zealand in 1642, and later in 1769, but it was not before 1780 New Zealand became interesting to the European. They came here to hunt whales, and trade weapons with the Maoris. The Maoris thought this was a great deal, so they traded other tribe’s women for weapons. The weapons the Maori used to kill men in other tribes. Shrunken heads were popular as souvenirs for the Europeans. Shrunken heads are //actual// real human heads, so the Maoris sold other tribes women as prostitutes and the men were killed and used as shrunken heads, to sell to the Europeans. That’s the reason why the population greatly fell, but in the 19th century the population started to increase again.

When New Zealand became interesting to the British, they brought land from the Maoris. The Maoris thought this was a great deal, they got money for giving the British land. Who can own land? Thought the Maoris. But when they finally understood what they had done, a war started between the Maoris and the British, a war called “The New Zealand Wars”. This war lasted from 1845-1872.