Backbencher

First of all i came to this class with a few common misconception on the people of these two nations. I thought both the First peoples of Australia and New Zealand were natives and thought of themselves as such. The Maori f the NZ did not consider themselves natives because based on the extensive Genealogy or (Whakapapa) they can trace their origins even to the specific boat that brought them to the island. the aborigine of OZ claims they are natives to the land even though Archaeologist and anthropologist say otherwise.

When Europeans (pakeha's) started coming to these two very distinct lands they had to very different kind of reaction and interaction with the inhabitants based on each culture. unilaterally the Europeans had the belief in the fatal contact. they thought that native populations would die out because they were an inferior sub-group. their view were somewhat confirm more or less with the peoples in OZ. European had a completely different view of the Maori, partly because Maoris were warriors they fought the Europeans with vigor. first in the Musket Wars then followed by the Maori Wars (New Zealand Wars). Those subsequent wars were brought to an end by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in (1840).

The Aborigine in Australia were applied to the labor needs in the system of pastoral stations. The world of the aborigines were a lot more on surviving and taking care of the land then about conquering it. there was no form of Hierarchy in there society. they weren't a settled society. in Class Dr. Isern caution from calling them nomads but the Had to continuosly moved place to place to set fire (Fire-Stick Farming)to the land as a form of modern Range Management.

The prehistoric animal living in those lands were without any serious predators. When these groups of people migrated to OZ and NZ the Mega fauna were wiped out in relative sort time. The Diprotodon and the Giant Sloth in OZ and the MOA in NZ were hunted in to extinction.

In watching TV shows i seen that some of these people were as black and sometimes blacker then me, so i thought they thought of themselves as having more in common with Africans. but i got the since that they are much more connected to the Indians in North America.