Waitaha
Encyclopedia
Waitaha is an early historical Māori iwi
(tribe or nation). Inhabitants of the South Island
of New Zealand
, they were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest first by the Kāti Mamoe
and then Ngāi Tahu
from the 16th century onward.
Today those of Waitaha descent are represented by the Ngāi Tahu
iwi
.
Another iwi known as Waitaha are said to have lived in antiquity in the Horowhenua area of the lower North Island.
Although a series of further books, web sites and events have been based around these claims, they have been widely disputed and dismissed by conventional scholars. Historian Michael King
noted: "There was not a skerrick of evidence – linguistic, artifactual, genetic; no datable carbon or pollen remains, nothing – that the story had any basis in fact. Which would make Waitaha the first people on earth to live in a country for several millennia and leave no trace of their occupation." This broad statement runs counter to the oral history of those who claim descent from Waitaha, but represents clearly the established political position on the subject of archaic Maori tribes who are said to predate the main migration of Maori from Hawaiiki, normally dated around 1000 years ago.
or in a generic "ancient links to the land" sense, rather than either claiming actual tribal descent, or links to the philosophies of Brailsford. These include:
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
(tribe or nation). Inhabitants of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, they were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest first by the Kāti Mamoe
Kati Mamoe
Kāti Mamoe, or Ngāti Mamoe, is an historic Māori iwi. Originally from the Heretaunga area they moved in the 16th century to the South Island which at the time was occupied by Waitaha....
and then Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand, with the tribal authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, being based in Christchurch and Invercargill. The iwi combines three groups, Kāi Tahu itself, and Waitaha and Kāti Mamoe who lived in the South Island prior...
from the 16th century onward.
Today those of Waitaha descent are represented by the Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand, with the tribal authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, being based in Christchurch and Invercargill. The iwi combines three groups, Kāi Tahu itself, and Waitaha and Kāti Mamoe who lived in the South Island prior...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
.
Another iwi known as Waitaha are said to have lived in antiquity in the Horowhenua area of the lower North Island.
"Nation of Waitaha"
In 1995 a book by Barry Brailsford, Song of Waitaha: The Histories of a Nation, claimed that the ancestors of the "Nation of Waitaha" were the first remembered inhabitants of New Zealand, three groups of people of different races, two of light complexion and one of dark complexion, who had arrived in New Zealand from an unspecified location in the Pacific, 67 generations before the book was written. The book was written at the request of the Waitaha people and was a recording of their oral legends and stories, including the aboriginal people they met on arrival in New Zealand, and their eventual downfall after invasion by North Island Maori. The subject matter in this book has been very controversial and the subject of massive political and tribal debate in New Zealand. Many deny that Waitaha ever existed.Although a series of further books, web sites and events have been based around these claims, they have been widely disputed and dismissed by conventional scholars. Historian Michael King
Michael King
Michael King, OBE was a New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer. He wrote or edited over 30 books on New Zealand topics, including The Penguin History of New Zealand, which was the most popular New Zealand book of 2004.-Life:King was born in Wellington to Eleanor and Commander Lewis...
noted: "There was not a skerrick of evidence – linguistic, artifactual, genetic; no datable carbon or pollen remains, nothing – that the story had any basis in fact. Which would make Waitaha the first people on earth to live in a country for several millennia and leave no trace of their occupation." This broad statement runs counter to the oral history of those who claim descent from Waitaha, but represents clearly the established political position on the subject of archaic Maori tribes who are said to predate the main migration of Maori from Hawaiiki, normally dated around 1000 years ago.
Organisations
A number of organisations have "Waitaha" as part of their title, often as a synonym for CanterburyCanterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
or in a generic "ancient links to the land" sense, rather than either claiming actual tribal descent, or links to the philosophies of Brailsford. These include:
- Waitaha Scout Group, based in DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, OtagoOtagoOtago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is... - Waitaha Cultural Council, Christchurch-based performance group
- Canterbury/Waitaha District Council of the NZEI
- University of Canterbury (Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha)University of CanterburyThe University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
External links
- Te Ara. The Encyclopedia of New Zealand entry
- Waitangi Tribunal discussion
- Early claims of pre-Māori settlement by Waitaha
- Neo-imperialism and the (mis)appropriation of indigenousness, piece by Makere Harawira, critical of Brailsford
- Skeptic Society discussion of Brailsford claims