Aphorism #10 - Playing the Old Game

Change when the world changes

When the Brits first came to New Zealand with their gunpowder and muskets, you’d be forgiven for naively believing that this would culminate in a banding together of the warring Māori tribes. The same goes for the Europeans in America.

The Ngāpuhi tribe of the Māori went off and conquered their long-time rivals. A couple of other Māori tribes sailed to the Chatham Islands and wiped out the Moriori people — enslaving the survivors. When the Comanche got their hands on some Spanish horses they didn’t unite with their brothers and attack the invaders; they conquered their long-time rivals. They went from being an insignificant tribe to a powerhouse.