WHENCE THE MAORI?

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 29, 4 February 1928, Page 10

WHENCE THE MAORI?

RESEARCH IN THE PACIFIC, j TRADITIONS REINFORCED. I MIGRATIONS FROM TAHITI. (By Telegraph.— Special to "Star.") j WELLINGTON, this day. j The origin of the Maori is a subject' fascinating to ethnologists, and more) infoimation is available to them us a. result of the researches of the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, a privately-endowed institution which includes a New Zea-! landei, Dr. Ruck, on its stall. Another' New Zealand ethnologist. Mr. H. D. Skinner, lecturer in that subject at Otago Lnhersity, spent three and a half months at the Bishop Museum in the course of an eighteen months' tour, from which he has just returned, and lie gave your correspondent nianv interesting facts which lie has gleaned. One point is that the latest researches j support the Maori tradition that thevi came from Tahiti. Resemblance of Weapons. Ihe exhibition collections oi tiie Bishop Museum are 011 the whole disappointing, but Mr. Skinner's opinion is that the research material is extreiuelv valuable. While he was at this museum lie prepared a handbook 011 its Easter Island collections, which are the largest in the world. "The material culture of the Easter Islanders is remarkably close to that of our Maoris," he said, "and this is seen best of all in the weapons, the resemblance being astonishing. It looks as if a section of the Maoris had! colonised Easter Island. The class of weapon generally known as mere is! here in all its variations, and also the long taiaha. A close relationship to our Maori weapons appears also in the Rapa and Austral Islands, and only al little less close in the Marquesas. "Ihe variation in culture in all the| marginal fringe of Polynesia is only, what we might expect to see in different districts in New Zealand. We are accumulating facts on this phase which demonstrates that the relationship is a great deal closer than was once believed. Holy Island deserted. "Mr. Emery, of the Bishop Museum, has lately prepared for publication his researches into the culture -of Xeckar Island, 500 miles north-west of Hawaii. It was ©ecupied in ancient times for a relatively short period as a kind of holy island and then deserted. The Hawaiians knew nothing of it when Captain Cook n0 T lnform ation has been obtained from Hawaiian sources. has always been thought, up to the' piesent, that the Hawaiian group was! rth n°f"ti b v navi S a tors who moved] north ot the Equator through the

i» .niiinintniiiniiinrininiaiHmiramHtiimmmnnminmimniujnmjw-j-fuimnlimannixnaiimj Carolines, Marshall* and. Gilberts. It i> now seen from Neckar Island evidence that tbe earliest culture of the Hawaiian ; Islands is derived from Tahiti. They had iconic north across 3UOO miles of water. lliat was no casual drive. It was a : gleat sweep by folk keenly interested j in maritime discovery."' I "Then this conclusion bears eloselv on j theories regarding the arrival of 'the first Maoris in New Zealand:"' su"- | gested the interviewer. j 'It is apparent," agreed Mr. Skinner. I "that our earliest Maoris were 110 I chance drift navigators either, and 1 ,i think there can be 110 reasonable doubt J also that the Polynesians reached the I South American coast. If they navigated from Tahiti to Hawaii tlicv could >i easily have taken tlie shorter course to ['South America, though the only results jo! that contact seem to be tiie intro--1 (taction of the kuiuara. though that 1 not conclusive." Implements in Auckland. I I l'urthcr reinforcement of this conclusion was to be found in the Auckland I Museum, where there are clisplaved some M stone implements found at the* Kerma- - j decs. T had exi»ected," said Mr. SkinI ner, that these would be of the took j Island type, but they are not. They are lahitian. Maori traditions have (always been interpreted as indicating that tlie Maoris came from Tahiti, and tlie archaeological evidence supports the j tradition." Captain Gook's Brassware." An amusing result of applying his j wide experience in identifying ancient 1 remains was mentioned by "the New Zealand ethnologist. Several American tj museums have weapons similar to the t, Maori mere, four being of black basalt. - while one on close examination proved 1 to be ot brass. The latter was iu the ,j Washington, D.C., Museum. It came L from a grave at the mouth of the I Columb.a River. 'Cook is known to t ha\e touched near that coast" explained Mr. Skinner, "and to ' have :i brought out with him brass meres. The ) black basalt specimens cannot therefore ; be claimed as earlier than Co*ok's tvpe t| but were probably from the 4me j ship." 'i - -