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I've been looking over the lore behind several SM chapters and trying to figure out what, if any, culture they are based off of. The White Scars obviously have Mongolian inspiration. The Storm Wardens seem to be inspired by a combination of the Celts and Gauls. The Black Templar have a Teutonic feel to them. This got me thinking how awesome it would be to have a chapter based off the Maori people of New Zealand! Can you imagine an entire battle company performing the Haka across the battlefield from a terrified and confused Tau hunter cadre? Are there any chapters out there with a Maori or other Polynesian inspiration? If not, I think I may just have to make one.

The Carcharodons (Space Sharks) use a lot of Maori-style tribal 'tattoo' warpaint.

30k raven guard have the same sort of feel as the moaris and carcharadons seem to be a Chapter linked to them, I'd suggest looking at the raven guard contemptor and go from there

I never even thought about the Carcharadons. Need to take a look at their FW stuff. I'm not the biggest fan of their color scheme, but maybe I could make an offshoot chapter. Thanks for the info, folks!

Neither the Raven Guard nor the Carcharodons even come close to Maori.

You'd need to make your own homebrew chapter.

After doing a little more research on the Carcharadons, the whole "stealth in and then go berserk" motif doesn't really fit the Maoris. I think I'll have to agree with MarsNZ. I'll just have to come up with my own.

I can't really think of any that are based on the Maoris. It'd probably be best just to make up your own chapter. That's half the fun of 40k after all!

30k Salamanders used weapons similar to the Maori's. Deathfire describes a sword used as being crafted from the teeth of a creature from their homeworld.

 djones520 wrote:
30k Salamanders used weapons similar to the Maori's. Deathfire describes a sword used as being crafted from the teeth of a creature from their homeworld.

I'm actually leaning toward Salamanders as their Gene-seed origin. Fire/volcano motifs seem appropriate. I'd probably use Codex: Space Wolves instead of Codex: Space Marines, though just because I would imagine a Maori chapter would be more "choppy" than "shooty". I'd have to change some flavor text, obviously (Hellfire instead of Hellfrost).

Don't know if would have any bearing on your decision, but I have spoken to Nick Kyme on his blog/website before and I asked what his influences were for 40K Salamanders. He said that there's a heavy Greco-Roman slant to represent the Great-Crusade/Legion era and that the Nocturne culture, particularly naming conventions are based more on African culture.

@EnTyme - As to whether the Maori's would be more choppy than shooty - look up the Musket Wars. After the Europeans, in particular the British, arrived they began exporting weapons in return for timber and flax which ignited a series of inter-tribal wars as each tribe sought to exploit their new-found weapons to settle old feuds and territorial gains. So really you can go pre-colonial Maori with traditional CC weapons or post-colonial Maori with a heavy bias towards firearms.

As tempting as I'm sure it'd be, I'd warn you against getting caught up in the whole 'pre-industrial people would obviously prefer close-combat' thing. The Maori, like the vast majority of civilisations, are successful because they're pragmatic and adaptable, not because they rigidly adhere to an archaic principle. Give them an advanced weapon and they're unlikely to throw it away in favour of a less efficient or safe way of dispatching their enemies.

Anyway, plenty of Chapters recruit from pre-industrial societies and it doesn't have an obvious impact on their tactics. Take whichever Chapter Tactics you find the most entertaining to play.

I'm definitely not thinking of the Maori as just a pre-industrial civilization. Hell, they were one of the first non-white people to earn citizenship in the British Empire! I'm leaning toward the CC focus more so the chapter can represent more than just the Maori, but Polynesian cultures in general, most of which were known for their seamanship (it would be a fleet-base chapter as well) and close-combat proficiency (the Phillipine Islands held off Spanish invaders for years basically using only sticks).

I'm certain I saw a carcharodon army painted with maori like toatoo etc on their power armors.
It was wonderful. Maybe it can help you to do paint your own Maori army.

 djones520 wrote:
30k Salamanders used weapons similar to the Maori's. Deathfire describes a sword used as being crafted from the teeth of a creature from their homeworld.

Maori didn't use swords or weaponised teeth. The most common weapons you'll see are the Taiaha (a spear with a bladed lower section, made of wood) and the Patu (a short stone club). Both weapons would often feature extensive carving work.

Also just an fyi: The plural of Maori is Maori.

 EnTyme wrote:
I'm definitely not thinking of the Maori as just a pre-industrial civilization. Hell, they were one of the first non-white people to earn citizenship in the British Empire! I'm leaning toward the CC focus more so the chapter can represent more than just the Maori, but Polynesian cultures in general, most of which were known for their seamanship (it would be a fleet-base chapter as well) and close-combat proficiency (the Phillipine Islands held off Spanish invaders for years basically using only sticks).

Again, the relative level of technology on the homeworld really won't have much of an effect. If Fenrisians can learn to use a Land Raider then surely anyone can!

Although I haven't ever created a homebrew Chapter, I expect the way to do it is to start from the ground level. Flesh out the home society, its customs and wildlife and such, then work out what impact this would have on the eventual soldiers. Perhaps you could start from some Maori mythology and adapt this to feature the Emperor in some convoluted way to explain why they're loyal. Is there a sizeable Imperial presence on the homeworld, like there is on Chogoris?

 Spineyguy wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:
I'm definitely not thinking of the Maori as just a pre-industrial civilization. Hell, they were one of the first non-white people to earn citizenship in the British Empire! I'm leaning toward the CC focus more so the chapter can represent more than just the Maori, but Polynesian cultures in general, most of which were known for their seamanship (it would be a fleet-base chapter as well) and close-combat proficiency (the Phillipine Islands held off Spanish invaders for years basically using only sticks).

Again, the relative level of technology on the homeworld really won't have much of an effect. If Fenrisians can learn to use a Land Raider then surely anyone can!

Although I haven't ever created a homebrew Chapter, I expect the way to do it is to start from the ground level. Flesh out the home society, its customs and wildlife and such, then work out what impact this would have on the eventual soldiers. Perhaps you could start from some Maori mythology and adapt this to feature the Emperor in some convoluted way to explain why they're loyal. Is there a sizeable Imperial presence on the homeworld, like there is on Chogoris?

That's the path I'm taking, Spineyguy. Thus far, I know that the chapter's homeworld and primary source of recruits, Temuera Secundus, will be a feral aquatic world with no actual continents, just massive collections of archipelagos created but underwater volcanos. Like many SM recruiting worlds, the people know little to nothing about the Imperium, just that every few years, god-like beings descend from the heavens to select the greatest warriors to put through a trial (by fire, of course). I'm looking up some Maori legends to adapt to the 40k setting.

I have also settled on the chapter name Ahi Ariki, which means Fire Lords in Maori. I found a lot of references to eels in Maori myths, and I thought about calling them the Fire Eels, but Ahi Tuna just didn't sound right.

 EnTyme wrote:
Can you imagine an entire battle company performing the Haka across the battlefield from a terrified and confused Tau hunter cadre?

I think the purpose of the Haka dates back to a time before your enemy could blast you apart from the edge of visual range with a rail rifle.

The important thing to do in 40K from a fluff perspective is to avoid the Space Wolf Trap where the trope overpowers the existing lore, and you end up with wolf chariots and wolf cavalry and werewolves and freeze rays (because, yeah, the logical progression of technology on an ice planet is to come up with a gun that makes things colder).



They should be Space Marines with a Maori theme, and not Maoris with a Space Marine theme. Because no matter what culture they come from, what kind of planet, etc, they are still being crafted into a spacefaring race of elite, high technology warriors. The culture on their planet might love canoes and seafaring, but a Space Marine rides in drop pods, Thunderhawks and Rhinos, and carries rocket rifles and chainsaw swords. If you get too caught up in a "theme", you end up with the awful monstrosity that the Space Wolves have mutated into.

Also, don't get too caught up in what Chapter they come from. It's largely irrelevant. The Mantis Warriors have no predilection towards the bikes that the White Scars use. Nor do the Black Templars fight anything like the Imperial Fists. or the Carcharadons like the Raven Guard. The less you get caught up in "Well, their imagery is kinda like the Salamanders..." the more freedom you have. I mean, heck, Ultramarines successors can be anything from the doomy and gloomy Mortifactors with their death cult and trances, to the tank-loving Aurora Chapter. Write your fluff the way you want. It's your story. I chose the Ultramarines specifically because I didn't want there to be any kind of pigeonhole for what my army ended up as. And, I figured, 2/3rds of all Chapters are Ultramarines successors. seems likely that mine would be too. Then use the Chapter Tactics rules you want. Space Marines existed for 25 years before the invention of "Chapter Tactics". Don't shoehorn your own fluff into stupid rules written fairly recently. You can write a Raven Guard Successor, then use Salamanders tactics when you play. Nobody is going to fault you. And if they do, sucker punch them, because they're probably the kind of person who has it coming.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:
Can you imagine an entire battle company performing the Haka across the battlefield from a terrified and confused Tau hunter cadre?

I think the purpose of the Haka dates back to a time before your enemy could blast you apart from the edge of visual range with a rail rifle.

The important thing to do in 40K from a fluff perspective is to avoid the Space Wolf Trap where the trope overpowers the existing lore, and you end up with wolf chariots and wolf cavalry and werewolves and freeze rays (because, yeah, the logical progression of technology on an ice planet is to come up with a gun that makes things colder).



They should be Space Marines with a Maori theme, and not Maoris with a Space Marine theme. Because no matter what culture they come from, what kind of planet, etc, they are still being crafted into a spacefaring race of elite, high technology warriors. The culture on their planet might love canoes and seafaring, but a Space Marine rides in drop pods, Thunderhawks and Rhinos, and carries rocket rifles and chainsaw swords. If you get too caught up in a "theme", you end up with the awful monstrosity that the Space Wolves have mutated into.

Also, don't get too caught up in what Chapter they come from. It's largely irrelevant. The Mantis Warriors have no predilection towards the bikes that the White Scars use. Nor do the Black Templars fight anything like the Imperial Fists. or the Carcharadons like the Raven Guard. The less you get caught up in "Well, their imagery is kinda like the Salamanders..." the more freedom you have. I mean, heck, Ultramarines successors can be anything from the doomy and gloomy Mortifactors with their death cult and trances, to the tank-loving Aurora Chapter. Write your fluff the way you want. It's your story. I chose the Ultramarines specifically because I didn't want there to be any kind of pigeonhole for what my army ended up as. And, I figured, 2/3rds of all Chapters are Ultramarines successors. seems likely that mine would be too. Then use the Chapter Tactics rules you want. Space Marines existed for 25 years before the invention of "Chapter Tactics". Don't shoehorn your own fluff into stupid rules written fairly recently. You can write a Raven Guard Successor, then use Salamanders tactics when you play. Nobody is going to fault you. And if they do, sucker punch them, because they're probably the kind of person who has it coming.

Good advice, Sarge. I'm hoping to flesh out this chapter some more and post as I get things done. I'm still a long way from actually building and painting these guys. I'm already flip-flopping on them being a choppy army. The more I read about the Maori, the more I see how their ability to adapt to technology is what made them the dominant race of the South Pacific, and focusing on melee in a setting filled with guns makes less and less sense. I do, however, like the idea of keeping a fire theme, so Salamanders chapter tactics really makes sense.

As a side note, I know I've seen several New Zealand and Australian flags on the forum here, so if there are any Dakkanauts of Maori decent, please give me your input. I'm just a guy who has a fascination with your culture. I'd love to have your input on this chapter.

You could try Jade Dragons. I think their only mentioned in the Damocles Anthology.

They're very spiritual and cover their Skin in Tribal Tattoos which are then painted identically onto the outside of their armour.

They have tribal totems, use predatory tactics, particularly lightening claws and seeker rounds.

That's the closest chapter to Maori's I've heard of.

 EnTyme wrote:
As a side note, I know I've seen several New Zealand and Australian flags on the forum here, so if there are any Dakkanauts of Maori decent, please give me your input. I'm just a guy who has a fascination with your culture. I'd love to have your input on this chapter.

As a white Australian who regularly sees his rugby team lose to the mostly Maori All Blacks I can tell you we have a huge amount of respect for our close neighbours. Some suggestions for origin legions:
Their rugby players are fast - Could be White Scars, the speed machines.
They are generally big tough guys - Could be Alpha Legion, the largest standard marines.
A lot of them work in Australia as bouncers - Could be Ultramarines, the party killers.
They have a lot higher level of integration and friendship between original natives and white newcomers than other nations (including AUS) seem to pull off - Could be Salamanders, the most congenial.
I've never actually been to NZ so this is still a largely outsider view, but perhaps a wee bit closer than USA and EU

A good resource for Maori myths is;
http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories

Your chapter name made me chuckle, first glance at it I thought it was smoked God!

Are you looking for just the background fluff for a chapter or for the modelling side as well?
For Maori combat technique a lot of people don't realise that they were actually really proficient in sieges (mostly defensive in the colonial period) as well as raiding. For inspiration on chapter heroes I would look up Hone Heke who developed the Maori way of defence against firearms and Hongi Hika who was probably the most successful war chiefs during the Musket Wars.

ingtaer wrote:
A good resource for Maori myths is;
http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories

Your chapter name made me chuckle, first glance at it I thought it was smoked God!

Are you looking for just the background fluff for a chapter or for the modelling side as well?
For Maori combat technique a lot of people don't realise that they were actually really proficient in sieges (mostly defensive in the colonial period) as well as raiding. For inspiration on chapter heroes I would look up Hone Heke who developed the Maori way of defence against firearms and Hongi Hika who was probably the most successful war chiefs during the Musket Wars.

Thank you for the link and info. This'll give me something to read in my downtime at work. I'm still working on the fluff side of the chapter right now, ingtaer. I'll need to finish my Blood Ravens and Tyranids before I start to actually model these guys, so that's probably at least a year or two off.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:

They should be Space Marines with a Maori theme, and not Maoris with a Space Marine theme. Because no matter what culture they come from, what kind of planet, etc, they are still being crafted into a spacefaring race of elite, high technology warriors. The culture on their planet might love canoes and seafaring, but a Space Marine rides in drop pods, Thunderhawks and Rhinos, and carries rocket rifles and chainsaw swords. If you get too caught up in a "theme", you end up with the awful monstrosity that the Space Wolves have mutated into.

This is really fantastic advice for anybody creating a homebrew chapter. Without going down the rabbit hole of "cultural appropriation," I think its better to think of how Space Marines would integrate Maori influences than try to imagine how Maori become space marines. First, we have many different, often conflicting images of Maoris as a culture. Second, even by the great founding, nearly all human cultures were legends or myths. Now, many planets or other cultures may share a lineage with a historical human culture, either directly (settlers from a culture founded the colony on the planet) or indirectly (for whatever reasons, convergent evolution or coincidence, a culture rises on a planet that mirrors a historical culture).

Generally, Space Marine culture either represents their home world, and reminds them of who they are, or shows what they aspire to be, or occasionally both. So Ultramarines and Blood Angels exhibit order and grace in their cultures, Space Wolves and White Scars reflect their home world, while Dark Angles mix the monastic stoicism of their ideal with hints at a tribal, quasi "native" home culture.

Using the broad outlines of what most people know of Polynesian cultures in general, or maori in specific, I think you're on the right track. A fleet based chapter that recruits from small colonies. Maybe their home planet is a gas giant with dozens of semi-habitable moons. Or they only recruit from dedicated "spacers." They have adopted some aspects of a legendary culture of warriors that were not afraid of the unknown: the dance, the tattoos, some aspects of language. Maybe they continue to mostly patrol the ghost stars, standing vigil at the very limits of the astronomicon.

The Rainbow Warriors chapter were based on Maori (Rogue Trader and 2ed). I remember a picture of one with a mere (Maori war club)

 Polonius wrote:
Without going down the rabbit hole of "cultural appropriation,"

At the risk of inflaming somebody's ability to be offended, I've always found the idea of "cultural appropriation" to be wrongheaded at its most basic level. Drunk kids at Coachella in headdresses are probably a little disrespectful, but really, if somebody respects a culture enough to find it worthy of emulation, that's appreciation, not appropriation. And it should be the goal of every "melting pot" society. I see the argument come up a lot revolving around white rappers and white pop artists using hip hop elements in their songs. And it's ridiculous. It's a sign that rap and hip hop have transcended racial boundaries, and that's a good thing if we ever want to live in a society where the color of your skin isn't how you are judged. White people didn't get upset at black people for appropriating the guitar when they came up with the blues, just as people shouldn't be offended that the blues was appreciated and eventually evolved into rock and roll. Nobody "owns" culture.

Making a Maori-themed Space Marine chapter because you think their traditions and practices are cool is a tribute to the culture. If you don't get all the details right, that's fine. As long as it is with a respectful intent, that's all that matters.

For what it's worth, I agree, but I was trying to skirt the issue. At it's base, I think you need to be cognizant that something that looks "cool" to an outsider might have grave importance to members of that culture, and they might be offended by important (or even sacred) elements of their culture being used as fashion items. As you point out, cultural exchange is not appropriation: the blues music from black artists in the 1930s was an important aspect of their culture, but not really a core. It was also widely sold and marketed. Cultures that change because of exposure to each other is inevitable. However, hearing an native American headdress past the age of 10 is probably pretty crass: it's an item with distinct meaning to a culture that still exists and is trying to preserve itself.

Maori culture still exists, so more care needs to be taken than with, say, Viking or Ancient Roman culture. But it sounds like the OP is reading up on the culture, and has an idea for a chapter that adopted Maori culture out of respect for them as warriors. I don't see a problem with it.

May not be what you need, but these marines are very cool and tribal...

Maybe not Maori, but it's a start.


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/579936.page

John Wirral wrote:
May not be what you need, but these marines are very cool and tribal...

Maybe not Maori, but it's a start.


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/579936.page

Very good-looking models there. Definitely more of a Meso-American/American Indian theme than Maori, but its a good example of incorporating tribal themes into SM armor. I'll have to bookmark it when I get home.