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New Zealand >
About > History
It is said that history never repeats,
but here you find stories and patterns of
life as elsewhere in the world.
Recently a British colony, now a nation working to manage
business amid shifting world power and internal politics.
The country itself is as old as anywhere else on earth with evidence
of past civilizations, and indications that NZ was a trade point between the Americas and Africa.
One
civilization is thought to have been Lemuria and there is a feint history
of a red haired people, black skinned people and
others. A folk history and considerable archaeological evidence
lends weight to these discussions, yet is not enough to convince the
establishment.
The Waitaha were the
first Polynesians who arrived 800 - 900 years ago followed by
several groups (canoes) of Maori. They formed territorial groups who
fought each other, the losers often becoming slaves, meat or both!
Some leaders controlled large areas and sub-tribes however they
never succeeded in becoming a nation of tribes. The Maori caused the
extinction of many species such as the giant Moa, and the
de-forestation of the Canterbury Plains.
Then came the
Europeans who took most of the Maori lands and killed
lots of them much the same as happened in the USA and
other parts of the world with the Indigenous peoples
during the colonization process. New Zealand is now in a
time of re-conciliation, the wrongs of various ancestors
are being addressed and the Maori are regaining traditional lands
and titles.
One can study and
follow the development of NZ over the past few
hundred years in the excellent libraries and museums.
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