>>17843136
> Influences 20th century trench warfare
FALSE. There is no evidence they influenced WWI trench warfare. Claims of influence are retroactive speculation, not supported by military history.
> Most successful ocean navigators for hundreds of years
EXAGGERATED. Polynesians (including Māori ancestors) were excellent navigators, but calling them the most successful ignores other seafaring cultures like the Austronesians, Chinese, and Arabs. Māori themselves ceased long-distance voyaging after settling Aotearoa.
> Invents ocean maps
UNTRUE. Māori did not invent maps of any kind. While some Polynesian cultures (e.g., Marshallese) made stick charts, Māori relied solely on oral navigation traditions and did not use physical or visual maps.
> Visits South America
QUESTIONABLE. Some evidence supports Polynesian-South American contact before Europeans arrived (e.g., sweet potatoes, limited genetic links). But there is no direct or credible evidence that Māori themselves ever made the journey.
> Immense horticultural and medicinal knowledge
PARTIALLY TRUE. Māori developed impressive agricultural adaptations, especially for kūmara. Their medicinal plant knowledge (rongoā) is real but not all remedies are scientifically validated, and some were symbolic rather than medicinal.
> Worships the natural world
SIMPLIFIED. Māori cosmology involves a spiritual relationship with nature, with deities representing natural forces. But calling it "worship" in a modern, ecological sense oversimplifies a diverse and complex belief system.
