“Mystic Fires of Tamaatea”: Attempts to creatively rewrite New Zealand's cultural and tectonic past

Abstract

“Mystic Fires of Tamaatea” is the title given to a section of a book entitled “Tsunami: The underrated hazard” written by Edward Bryant and published by Cambridge University Press in 2001. In it the author links New Zealand evidence for widespread forest destruction and Maori place‐names and legends with the 15th century timing of an apparent Tunguska‐type meteor impact in the South Island of New Zealand, Chinese, and Japanese meteor sightings, comets, and “mega"‐tsunamis in Australia. This paper critically reviews the lines of evidence used, and finds no evidence, either Maori or geological, for a 15th century meteor impact in New Zealand. In the book, all Maori place‐names have been incorrectly translated, the radiocarbon chronology is incorrect, and there is no consideration of the numerous potential tsunami sources that were active in New Zealand in the 15th century.

Keywords:

• meteor impact
• tsunami
• Maori place‐names
• Maori legends
• deforestation
• 15th century
• Australia
• radiocarbon
• New Zealand

Notes

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Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.