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Maori Responses to Christianity. Missionaries Influence. Missionaries viewed themselves as a stabalising influence- many whalers had stayed away after the Boyd Incident but now returned. Maori were primarily interested in trade with missionaries, they were practical in their approach.
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Missionaries Influence • Missionaries viewed themselves as a stabalising influence- many whalers had stayed away after the Boyd Incident but now returned. • Maori were primarily interested in trade with missionaries, they were practical in their approach. • Action was taken if missionaries didn’t ‘deliver’- e.g. Wesleyan’s at Kaeo. Their mission was sacked when it did not flourish.
Importance of Literacy • Maori chiefs Waikato and HongiHika travel to Cambridge University to work on developing a Maori grammar. • This was a standardisation of the language which allowed for the teaching of literacy. • Literacy was taught through the medium of the Bible.
What did Maori see in the Bible? • The Bible spoke to Maori of: • Importance of genealogy- Whakapapa • Tradition of prophetic leaders in direct communication with God. • Post 1840, they saw oppression which they could relate to. (Pharoah and the Jews) • Tribal organisation.
1830s Acculturation • In the 1830s, the pace of acculturation began to increase. • There was an increasing number of Europeans coming to stay in NZ, numbering around 2000 by 1840. • They began to move out of the north and spread around the country. • The most intense interactions continued to be in the north, where the numbers of ships visiting increased significantly. • Maori began to suffer more from European diseases such as influenza, chickenpox and measles.
Interpretations of Maori Conversion • From the 1830s onwards, thousands of Maori accepted Christianity. • A variety of factors were involved in the process. • Historians have discussed a range of reasons for Maori conversion. • It is extremely important to consider Maori reasons for conversion, as these were often central.
Historian’s Interpretations Activity • Your groups will receive four cards. • Each card will have a brief description of an historian’s view of Maori conversion. • Your job is to put your cards in chronological order (when historians wrote their interpretation). • Make sure you can explain your reasons for the order you place your cards in.