bastion point essay
INTRODUCTION
Misleading, unorganized and inconclusive are only a few words to describe the signing of the treaty of Waitangi on the 6th of February 1840. The 3 official articles released were so heavily rushed that the responses following have damaged the Maori & English’s relationship for good. These articles have almost completely different translations, and ownership rights unsettled- leaving the maori chiefs at the time confused and uneducated. The responses that followed included some violent and nonviolent that lasted between a few days and about 2 years. These were the Northern wars, and Bastion point.
TOPIC ONE
Bastion point was arguably one of the most symbolic protests of Maori land rights. Tribe Ngati Whatua had their land stripped from them in many occasions, including one of their sacred fisheries in Okahu bay being used as a major sewage outlet in Auckland. In the 1970’s the British crown began to plan a housing development, using the Ngati Whatua’s ‘borrowed’ land. This historic piece of land is known as bastion point. A major outburst from nearby tribes sparked a 506 day non-violent protest. Eventually the protest won, and a tribunal case was filed. The Maoris eventually had some of their land returned.
Bastion Point suffered a painfully long protest as a consequence of a terribly rushed Treaty of Waitangi. The protest represents the tiresome struggle of land-robbed Maori tribes, how the treaty of Waitangi has completely confused ownership rights. In Article one of the treaty of Waitangi, which was about all subject to English sovereignty, the maori version was confusing, as the word for sovereignty was cunningly replaced with the made up word of kawanatanga- so the English didn’t have to use the word mana (maori would definitely not give over their mana to the British).The English version of Article two states that the Maori could have undisturbed land rights, that they had to sell to the government first before selling to settlers. A word
Misleading, unorganized and inconclusive are only a few words to describe the signing of the treaty of Waitangi on the 6th of February 1840. The 3 official articles released were so heavily rushed that the responses following have damaged the Maori & English’s relationship for good. These articles have almost completely different translations, and ownership rights unsettled- leaving the maori chiefs at the time confused and uneducated. The responses that followed included some violent and nonviolent that lasted between a few days and about 2 years. These were the Northern wars, and Bastion point.
TOPIC ONE
Bastion point was arguably one of the most symbolic protests of Maori land rights. Tribe Ngati Whatua had their land stripped from them in many occasions, including one of their sacred fisheries in Okahu bay being used as a major sewage outlet in Auckland. In the 1970’s the British crown began to plan a housing development, using the Ngati Whatua’s ‘borrowed’ land. This historic piece of land is known as bastion point. A major outburst from nearby tribes sparked a 506 day non-violent protest. Eventually the protest won, and a tribunal case was filed. The Maoris eventually had some of their land returned.
Bastion Point suffered a painfully long protest as a consequence of a terribly rushed Treaty of Waitangi. The protest represents the tiresome struggle of land-robbed Maori tribes, how the treaty of Waitangi has completely confused ownership rights. In Article one of the treaty of Waitangi, which was about all subject to English sovereignty, the maori version was confusing, as the word for sovereignty was cunningly replaced with the made up word of kawanatanga- so the English didn’t have to use the word mana (maori would definitely not give over their mana to the British).The English version of Article two states that the Maori could have undisturbed land rights, that they had to sell to the government first before selling to settlers. A word