 |
Traditional
Maori Fisheries
Preview
The sea and its fishing grounds were as important to early
Maori as the land. The sea was not only a major source of
food, but was of customary value as well.
 Seafood
- kaimoana - was the main source of animal protein, fats,
vitamins and minerals. It was also a very important way of
showing hospitality (manaaki) and generosity at hui or tangi.
The food provided for guests is a great status symbol in Maori
culture, and kaimoana rates highly.
There
is a highly organised set of customs - tikanga - to manage
the way seafood is gathered and handled.
Spiritual
rules
Incantations must be offered to Tangaroa (the guardian of the
sea) before fishing. If someone drowns, no-one may fish there
until Tangaroa returns the dead. The first fish taken is returned
to the sea with a karakia (prayer) to invite gods to bring an
abundance of fish to the hooks. No eating or smoking is allowed
in the boat during a fishing expedition. Body wastes infringe
tapu and none must enter the sea from the beach. In some places,
kaimoana cannot be eaten on the beach - it must be taken home
and prepared for eating there. Large canoes, eel weirs and nets
are protected by tapu.
Fisheries
conservation
Maori developed a set of practical rules to protect the natural
habitat, allowing for regeneration. The rules include:
 |
Nets
and lines must not drag on the seabed, because
this could damage the fishing ground. On shore,
sacks and baskets must be lifted, never dragged
over shellfish beds |
|
Dislodged rocks should always be returned
to their exact position |
|
Only
certain fish could be taken at certain times
and places |
|
There were some size limits |
|
If
the feeler of a rock lobster (koura) is snapped
off, the feeler must be removed from the water
before any more koura can be taken - otherwise
other life forms would be disrupted |
|
Preparation
of eels, Lake Forsyth, 1948 (Alexander Turnbull
Library) |
|
Rahui,
or a total ban on fishing, were applied at certain
times for various reasons, eg, - to protect fishing
grounds under pressure; and - to give species of
fish, shellfish and seaweed a chance to spawn or
multiply |
|
The
amount of bait, length of line, etc were carefully
controlled so that only the right amount of fish
of the right species was caught |
 |
|
|
Protecting
the resource from pollution
Maori have strong beliefs about protecting fisheries resources
from pollution. For example, it is forbidden to gut fish in
the open seas or throw small fish, excess bait, food or rubbish
into the water. Waste like this is seen as attracting predators
and polluting sensitive habitats.
Organisation
and trade
Traditional Maori fishing operations were very well organised.
Different tribes had their own fishing areas. Tribal boundaries
were marked by landmarks and stakes and protected against
trespassers. Fishing was often a community activity. Tasks
involved everything from observing the movement of schools
of fish and making gear, to catching and processing the fish.
Early
Maori knew a great deal about the life cycles of different
fish. A fishing calendar was developed to work out when certain
fish should be caught, what techniques to use, and whether
it should be during the day or night.
Kaimoana
was a very important trading item. Coastal tribes traded it
with inland iwi for goods such as birds, berries or workable
stone. In Canterbury, Kaipoihai pa was a trading pa with eight
different gates. It was similar to European trading sites
in the middle ages.
When
Europeans arrived, Maori started trading with them. They bartered
fish for other goods or sold it for cash. They exported fish
to Australia in the early 19th century.
Stone
Sinker |
Technology
Maori
are very knowledgeable and skilled fishers. Lines were made
from flax fibre
and sinkers from stones. Hooks were made from wood, bone, stone
or shell. Sometimes a gorge was used instead of a hook. It was
a straight piece
of bone, sharp at each end and attached in the middle. When
the line was pulled it turned sideways and caught in the fish's
throat.
A
great variety of nets and fish traps were made, from flax
fibre or vines. The design depended on the type of fish and
where it was used (depth, type of bottom, etc). Some sea nets
were very long and needed a community effort to set them and
haul them ashore. Different families (whanau) owned different
sections of the net. Traps were set in rivers to catch migrating
eels.
Spears
were used to catch some fish such as eels and flounder.
Shellfish,
rock lobster, octopus, lampreys (tuna korokoro) and freshwater
eels were caught by hand. Lampreys were a highly prized food.
|
Fish hooks used by Maori.
Click for larger image
|
Preparing
and storing fish
Because food from the sea can spoil quickly, it was important
to avoid waste by either sharing a large catch or preserving
it. Traditional methods for preserving kaimoana are still used
today. The main methods used were smoking, drying or salting.
Rock
lobster and kina were sometimes left in fresh water for four
to seven days before eating. Shellfish was preferred fresh,
but could also be cooked, dried and threaded on to long strips
of flax to keep for reserve food.
Sharks,
seaweed (karengo) and small freshwater fish were also dried.
Other seaweeds were eaten fresh or used as food gathering/storage
bags. Small whitebait were cooked in leaf packages, dried
in the sun and stored. Fish like snapper, parore and kahawai
were filleted and dried, hanging on rails.
Iwi
specialities
Each tribe (iwi) had its own speciality, a taonga. Local delicacies
added to the mana of an iwi, making it unique.
Coastal
iwi sometimes set up seasonal fishing camps to be near the
best supplies of fish at certain times of the year. Inland
iwi sometimes negotiated access to fishing grounds. The following
are some examples of the traditional annual fishing calendar
for some iwi:
|
In
Taupo, inanga trapping ran from September to January. |
|
In
the Bay of Islands, fishing and shell fish gathering ran
from December to March. |
For more
information click on any link below.
|
