Muskets, Maoris and Native Americans

Introduction

The technology which will be the focus if my research is the “Musket”, the musket has found its way throughout the world leaving a trail of blood.

I will give an insight into how the musket had become so reliant with the Maori people and the impacts it had on the Maori society from various aspects.

The Musket Wars

How the musket came across the Maori is been held accountable to one man “Hongi Hika” leader the Maori tribe “Ngapuhi”. Intertribal wars between Ngapuhi and rival tribe Ngati-Whatua was an on-going battle which will be the trigger to what is known as the “Musket wars” (S.Walters, 2014)

 Due to early encounters with European settlers, Hongi Hika made himself familiar with the weapon “Musket” which he used in a fierce battle with the Ngati-Whatua. The muskets created a loud noise and if hit by the lead fired from the musket would severely wound or kill the opposition, the muskets being slow to reload gave an advantage to the Ngati-Whatua who ambushed Hika and his tribe with traditional Maori weaponry known as the Taiaha and Patu (Maori spear and club) and slaughtered the Ngapuhi tribe (S.Walters, 2014).

 The need for Hongi Hika to avenge his uncle and two brothers who lost their lives on the battle prompted the contact between Hika and the Europeans to begin trading of food and supplies for more muskets and gun powder (S.Walters, 2014).

figure 1. photo of musket and timeline showing the increase of the cost. Retrieved from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/musket-wars/aftermath 

Hika now armed with large musket armies, campaigned his leadership slaughtering many tribes throughout the north island inflicting fear on his enemies and stating his dominance. In order for the other tribes to stand a chance against Hika and his musket armies they too armed themselves with muskets through trading food and supplies with the Europeans which is known as the musket wars that claimed many Maori lives (S.Walters, 2014).

The cost of the musket was proving to be a problem as the demand was becoming more increasingly so too was the price, local people would starve as the need for power and protection would cause a tribe to trade all the pork and potatoes they have for muskets and gun powder (S.Walters, 2014).

 The introduction of the musket caused fear among tribes which drove them out of their traditional areas and forced to live with relatives. Being driven out freed up the area and created confusion over ownership which created a new reason for fighting when other tribes had come across the land of the locals. Disputes are still being made at the Waitangi tribunal over land ownership and are asked to consider before the musket was introduced to the Maori as Maori believe that land was acquired unfairly (S.Walters, 2014).

Muskets and the Native Americans

The introduction of muskets to the Native Americans had come across in the battles against the Europeans. The noise and unfamiliarity of the musket to which was called a fire stick had put fear into the Native Americans (Muskets and Rifles, n.d).

 The musket was not good for battle as they were considered inaccurate and the main use in battle was to fire at large groups of people which were useless against the Native Americans as they fought individually (Muskets and Rifles, n.d).

In the 1700’s the Native Americans became familiar with the “British Norwest Musket” but found little use for them in their style if fighting and hunting as the musket was too heavy and too hard to handle and reload whilst on the back of a horse. The bow and arrow proved to be the weapon of mass destruction at the time up until the 1860’s where Native Americans equipped themselves with more modernised rifles which are easily handled while riding on the back of a horse (Muskets and Rifles, n.d).

figure 2. Photo of Apache with rifle. Retrieved from http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/the-indian-wars/beaver-wars.htm

The new found weaponry for the Native Americans proved at a high cost as for one rifle it cost stack of fur the were as high as the rifle which caused riots between neighbouring tribes as they would invade territory’s to hunt for beaver fur to trade for weapons which is the triggering point of what is known as the “Beaver Wars” (Beaver Wars, n.d).

 Not only did the cost impact the tribe so did power status as the rifles had disturbed the balance of authority between tribes as power shifted to those tribes that had rifles (Muskets and Rifles, n.d).

figure 3. timeline of the beaver wars. Retrieved from http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/the-indian-wars/beaver-wars.htm

Conclusion

The musket is used by both these indigenous tribes both introduced by the Europeans and caused tribes to descend from their traditional ways of warfare and using the traditional method.

In doing so they have allowed for more European influences within their tribe and leads them away from their cultural aspects.

With the introduction of the musket to the Maori they have used it to slaughter their own people with the intertribal wars whereas the Native Americans want to use it to fight the battle against the European although the demand for guns from the Natives caused conflict between tribes as lack of beavers to provide fur for trading became a problem prompting the beaver wars.

Both tribes have been heavily influenced by the introduction of muskets into their culture and not for the good as it was the source of wars.

References

Beaver Wars. (n.d). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/the-indian-wars/beaver-wars.htm

Muskets and Rifles. (n.d). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-indian-weapons-tools/muskets-and-rifles.htm

New Zealand History. (2014, September 18). First contact between Maoris and Europeans. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/first-contact-between-maori-and-europeans

S.Walters, D. (2014, January 22). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from New Zealand History: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/musket-wars/further-information