Science and the Early Maori

The early people of Aotearoa used science daily in their lives. They would use the natural

world to guide them. Science was used in:

Navigation

Food growing

Preserving food

Fishing

Hunting

Cooking

Building

In your project you need to investigate 4 sciences that were used by early Maori.

Select from the list above.

The project is to be on a blog.

Each topic must take up one - two pages

You must have headings of:

Name:

How was science involved:

Content: A definition, description, examples, pictures, and diagrams.

Subject 1.

Maori Cooking.

Before the arrival of Pakeha (fair skinned people), Maori had no metal or ceramic cooking

vessels. Methods of cookery were severely limited the only containers to hold liquid were

Hue (gourds) Wooden Bowls Or Vessels made from stone.

Maori understood the perfection of wet steam & smoke (Hangi). Maori could roast and

bake in the open fire and bake in hot ashes. They could grill on hot stones but had no means

of frying, nor did they bake or pot roast in dry heat. The diet was light on protein and

included no grain- food products as a carbohydrate base.

Maori were very highly skilled in the art of hunting, fishing and cultivation,

and possessed great ingenuity in creating Hakari (Banquets) from limited cooking

resources. With the introduction of foreign foods and cooking equipment, Maori

were quick to adapt to the ever changing needs of every day living taking into

consideration the wisdom to cherish and retain many foods and culinary methods of

the past. Yet within these limitations their cuisine was wide ranging, nutritious and

appetising. When the Pakeha (fair skinned) people introduced different foods and

equipment, Maori were quick to grasp their advantage. During the Colonial era Maori l

earned to use European foods and methods, and to adapt them to their own tastes,

at the same time retaining many of our favourite early methods of indigenous

foodstuffs and their health qualities. As we make comparisons of the past and

the cooking styles and techniques of today, this menu will bring together a

great taste of New Zealand.

Subject 2.

Fishing.

The ancestors of Māori would have arrived at these shores steeped in rich

fishing traditions and practice, and would have adapted this fishing culture

to local conditions, species, and materials. Matau (fish hooks) made by Māori are

simple, ingenious, and beautifully constructed. The huge variety of hooks represent

the many kinds of fish caught here as well as the many techniques used.

Pā kahawai are numerous. These are a result of Eastern Pacific-style

trolling lures being made here in local materials. The numbers of these that survive

also reflect the importance and availability of the fish species they caught

–voracious surface feeders such as kahawai and barracouta.

These trolling lures and hooks are made from wood, shell, and bone –

the fish being attracted to the flashes of movement and colour of the iridescent

pāua shell that lined the shank. The shank could be made out of whalebone or wood,

and after Pākehā (Europeans) arrived, iron. As an added luring device, feathers were

sometimes attached.

Subject 3

Building.

The earliest known dwellings constructed by the ancestors of Māori were adaptations

of the houses they had known in their former homelands in Polynesia. The houses in

their new country were only semi-permanent because the occupants moved frequently

in search of food and other supplies. They were often built in groups of 10 or

more, although each house was occupied by a single family group. Houses could be

round, rectangular or oval. They had a wooden frame covered with reeds such as

raupō (bulrush), toetoe or nīkau palm leaves, and sometimes other materials such

as bark. The earth floors were covered in tough flax mats, and the only furnishings

were beds made of finer matting laid over fern leaves.

Subject 4

Hunting

In the forest, birds were important as a supply of protein. Before the arrival of

Europeans, New Zealand had no land mammals to use for meat except the introduced

kurī (dog) and kiore (rat).

For many tribes, the main fowling season in autumn was a vital part of life.

A variety of birds were taken – kererū (New Zealand pigeons), kākā (parrots)

and tūī were particularly important. They were often preserved in their own fat.

Feathers of different birds were also used for adornment and making cloaks.

Navigation Techniques

Mars Rover Uses Maori navigation techniques.

The swells in the ocean can tell an experienced navigator a lot. Ocean waves

(swells) are formed by the wind, and there are some swells that are always on

the ocean, such as a main westerly swell. Swells can interact and form

interference patterns and can reflect off islands. Experienced seafarers can

identify many different swells in the ocean and deduce direction from them.

They will also know that an island is near.