"The Real Maori People and Whale Rider the movie".
In the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, in a country called New Zealand, on the north island of this country, more than ninety five percent of the world's population of Maori people lives. Auckland and Wellington, which are the large cities in New Zealand, are home to some of the Maori people, but the East Cape is where most of the Maori live, in fact they form the majority of the population in this area. The Maori people are considered native to New Zealand because they have been there for thousands of years. Their culture and people have survived many wars, plagues, unjust treatments, and general setbacks that could have very possibly wiped out the Maori race completely; things were so bad for the Maori in the late nineteenth century that European settlers gave them the label of "the dying race". The Maori race has not died however, it is alive and working to rebuild and retain its strength and individuality while alerting the world of its culture, which is rich in mythology, artistic endeavors, and agriculture.
Although the Maori are considered native to New Zealand it is believed that around 1200 A.D. there was an immigration by the Maori from other islands in Polynesia. These islands are thought to be the Marquesas Islands, the Society Islands, and the Cook Islands, all of which are located in the tropic of Capricorn, part of the Tuamoto archipelago, and today part of French Polynesia. Maori legends say that it was a large fleet of canoes that first set out on the pacific and hit the New Zealand islands; history is not specific as to which of the islands they landed on first. Kumara was their main food, it is also called the sweet potato; different types of fruits and roots in indigenous to the area also made up part of their diet. In addition they hunted different types of game such as birds, rats, and fur seals; they were also skilled fishermen and are even known for hunting dolphins and pilot whales along with other salt water and fresh water species.