Abstract
Abstract. This paper builds upon earlier work that argued the information and experience contained within the knowledge-practice-belief complex of Mātauranga Māori [Māori knowledge] is a valuable and neglected area of information and understanding about past catastrophic events in Aotearoa/New Zealand (A/NZ). Here we map Māori oral traditions (pūrākau) that relate experience with extreme environmental disturbance (in particular, tsunamis) around the A/NZ coast, compare the findings with geo-archaeological evidence, and discuss the scientific benefits to be gained by considering pūrākau as legitimate perspectives on history. Not surprisingly, there are both differences and complementarities between traditional Māori narratives and the available geo-archaeological evidence on extreme coastal disturbances. The findings presented here raise new and important questions about accepted geographies of tsunami risk, the causes and sources of their generation, as well as reasons for the relative paucity and abundance of information in some regions. Ways in which Mātauranga Taiao [Māori environmental knowledge] and contemporary science can be combined to produce new narratives about extreme environmental disturbance along the A/NZ coastline will require not only acceptance of other ways of knowing but also open engagement with Māori that respects their rights to tell their own histories. These efforts are encouraged to revitalise and ground-truth the interpretation of traditional stories, corroborate and/or question previous scientific deductions, and improve our collective understanding of the recurring impact of tectonic, geologic and meteorological-based events across A/NZ.
Highlights
The recognition of the existence and the value of indigenous knowledge of extreme events is not new
French explorer Jean-Francois de Galoup, Comte de la Perouse visited Lituya Bay, Alaska, on 2 July 1786 and during his encounters with the local Tlingit people he learned of an oral tradition which told of a monster that dwelt in the bay
Geological processes have played an important role in shaping Aotearoa/New Zealand (A/NZ), and their geophysical effects on the landscape are wellrecognised for the recent past (Goff and McFadgen, 2002)
Summary
The recognition of the existence and the value of indigenous knowledge of extreme events is not new. Maori oral traditions (purakau) from Aotearoa/New Zealand (A/NZ) contain substantial evidence of extreme disturbances across local land and seascapes, including stories of major floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis These narratives are derived from a history of geographically diverse Maori settlement in A/NZ spanning some 800 years (Howe, 2003; McFadgen, 2007; Wilmshurst et al, 2008), with subsequent European colonisation in the early 1800s. Despite a growing body of data from geological and archaeological studies, tsunami research in A/NZ is still in its infancy, with much of the work conducted to date based on random site selection and geomorphological interpretations (McFadgen, 2007) The importance of these early developments is undeniable but there remain many questions and ambiguities about the timing, source and magnitude of many past events not to mention gaps in our knowledge of the exposure of human and natural systems to tsunami impacts. It is anticipated this approach will lead to improvements in our collective understanding of how recurring seismic events and tsunami impacts in A/NZ have affected the coastline over the last 1000 years
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