Having spent 18 months helping to redevlop the Maori court and Pacific section of the Auckland Museum, the most important museum on the planet when it comes to the study of this subject I am really clear about the facts. I am Anglo-Saxon and have not trouble with that. I am well aware of Tasman etc and that they are well after the Polly seafaring explorers, hence my comments. What I do take seriously are what amount to racist commentary which mirrors that I listened to in that museum coming from people of European extraction who could just not stand the idea that that Pacific Islanders were well ahead of Europeans in exploring the area and who want forever to believe the Pacific peoples just got on rafts and crashed into islands in dumb luck.
I do not need to argue the pitch and toss here Wouter as I have not had to read these things as I have discussed them in some circumstances with the writers of the books and have made the very mounts some of the artifacts and boats sit on.

As to my comments on Cannibalism my reference is a book called "Flesh and Blood" but you could just google it and save me having to re read and quote pages. You guess that the Crusaders would not but your guess is wrong, so do your homework.

In this country people often remark disparagingly against Maori because of their eating of others. I always point out this book and lend it to them if needed.

Our history is clear that many English, Russian, German and American sailors found the temptation to eat human flesh the Maori offered at feasts too irresistable to say no to. They have chosen to do this after knowing better but Maori were just partaking in a long held cultural tradition.