Essay Database

After the wars, Maori continued to lose their land through the operation of the Native Land Court. Maori in politics have competed to preserve their land, assert their treaty rights, fight assimilation, and above all assert their "Maoritanga," the identity of their language, culture, and tribal cohesion. The language came to Aotearoa, Maori for New Zealand, with the Polynesian migrations about one thousand years ago, which most likely began in the area now known as …

…lematic for other reasons. "You" is often used as a symbol positioning one against another, such as "you people" or "you Maoris." One other interesting thing is the Maori view on being homosexual. There is no word in Maori for being gay, and the idea of it is blamed on the Europeans. To be homosexual, they view that you are disregarding the priorities of the tribe. In Maori eyes, you are either "gay" or "Maori."