Historic Māori Ties to Antarctica Revealed

A new paper details Māori ties to Antarctica from a seventh century Polynesian explorer.

The research paper is part of a project with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu researchers and is led by Dr Priscilla Wehi from Manaaki Whenua.

“Polynesian narratives of voyaging between the islands include voyaging into Antarctic waters by Hui Te Rangiora (also known as Ūi Te Rangiora) and his crew on the vessel Te Ivi o Atea, likely in the early seventh century,” the paper details.

Researchers believe that Māori narratives of connection to Antarctica are not limited to only these early voyages. They believe the Māori participation in Antarctic voyages has continued for any years, but it is not often recognized.

Many interesting details were revealed in the paper like the Māori’s involvement in the ‘heroic era’ of Antarctic expeditions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Māori explorers to Antarctica were shown to demonstrate medical, construction and scientific knowledge, despite known racism.

Find out more about these extraordinary journeys in the research paper ‘A short scan of Māori journeys to Antarctica’.