In New Zealand society, iwi (ˈiwi) form the largest social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means ``peoples` or `nations`, and is often translated as `tribe`, or confederation of tribes. Most Māori in pre-European times gave their primary allegiance to relatively small groups such as hapū (`sub-tribe`) and whānau (`family`). ==... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwi
(from the article `Maori`) ...which have dated habitations at least as early as 800 and possibly very much earlier, it still provided the basis for traditional Maori social ... ...Maori migration to New Zealand. They occupied a given territory and had a chief who functioned only in times of crisis and members who recognized ... [2 re... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/i/48