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The maori word for nation or tribe is 'Iwi'. Iwi are derived from the great waka (canoe)by which they arrived in New Zealand from Hawaiki; for example the Tainui Iwi of Waikato and the King country are descendants of people who journeyed to Aotearoa (NZ) on the Tainui canoe. Iwi are divided into tribes and sub-tribes (hapu) and extended family groups (whanau). Tangata whenua is a name Maori use to describe themselves which simply means 'people of the land'.

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13y ago

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