Māori People

New Zealand · indigenous · Polynesian · culture

Epic Ocean Voyages. Māori ancestors sailed across the Pacific Ocean in large double canoes called waka, arriving in New Zealand in several waves between roughly 1320 and 1350. These were incredible journeys across thousands of miles of open ocean.

From East Polynesia. The Māori people descended from East Polynesian settlers who came from islands across the Pacific. Over many centuries in isolation in New Zealand, they developed their own distinct language, customs, and way of life.

Unique Culture. Māori culture developed independently from other Polynesian cultures, creating special traditions in art, crafts, language, mythology, and performing arts. This made their culture distinct and different from their island cousins across the ocean.

Chatham Islands Branch. Some early Māori people moved to the Chatham Islands, located east of mainland New Zealand. Their descendants became the Moriori, another indigenous Polynesian ethnic group with their own history.