The Māori people may have been sailing through Antarctic waters and perhaps visiting the continent as early as the seventh century, according to new

The Māori may have been going to Antarctica as early as the 7th century, researchers find

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2021-06-14 16:30:08

The Māori people may have been sailing through Antarctic waters and perhaps visiting the continent as early as the seventh century, according to new research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The study was compiled by a team of researchers who scanned literature and integrated this with oral histories. The outcome is a compiled record of Māori presence in, and perspectives of, Antarctic narratives and exploration, which – the team states – “plays an important role” to fill knowledge gaps about both Māori and Antarctic exploration. And these stories start as far back as 1,320 years ago.

“We find 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,” explains lead author Priscilla Wehi, from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research the organisation which led the project, alongside researchers from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

“These navigational accomplishments are widely acknowledged; and Māori navigators are described as traversing the Pacific much as Western explorers might a lake. In some narratives, Hui Te Rangiora and his crew continued south. A long way south. In so doing, they likely set eyes on Antarctic waters and perhaps the continent.”