The Maori: The History and Legacy of New Zealand’s Indigenous People

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures
*Includes contemporary accounts
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents

“When one house dies, a second lives.” - Māori proverb

In 1769, Captain James Cook’s historic expedition in the region would lead to an English claim on Australia, but before he reached Australia, he sailed near New Zealand and spent weeks mapping part of New Zealand’s coast. Thus, he was also one of the first to observe and take note of the indigenous peoples of the two islands. His instructions from the Admiralty were to endeavor at all costs to cultivate friendly relations with tribes and peoples he might encounter, and to regard any native people as the natural and legal possessors of any land they were found to occupy. Cook, of course, was not engaged on an expedition of colonization, so when he encountered for the first time a war party of Māori, he certainly had no intention of challenging their overlordship of Aotearoa, although he certainly was interested in discovering more about them.

It was on October 6, 1769 that land was sighted from the masthead of the HMS Endeavour. The ostensible purpose of the expedition was to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun, but in sealed orders, to be opened only when these astrological observations were complete, he was instructed to search for evidence of the fabled Terra Australis. Approaching from the east, having rounded Cape Horn and calling in at Tahiti, the Endeavour arrived off the coast of New Zealand, and two days later it dropped anchor in what would later be known as Poverty Bay. No sign of life or habitation was seen until on the morning of the 9 October when smoke was observed to be rising inland, indicating that the territory was indeed inhabited. Cook and a group of sailors set off for shore in two boats and leaving four men behind to mind the boats, the remainder set off inland over a line of low hills. The sentries, however, were surprised by the arrival of a group of four Māori, who adopted an aggressive posture, and when one lifted a lance to hurl, he was immediately shot down.

The impression that all of this left on Cook and the scientific members of the expedition was mixed. By then there had already been several encounters with Polynesian people scattered about the South Pacific, and although occasionally warlike, there were none quite so aggressive as the Māori. In fairness, it must be added that the Māori understanding of Cook’s appearance, and what it represented was by necessity partial, and in approaching it they simply fell back on default behavior, applicable to any stranger approaching their shores. The presence on board the Endeavour of Tupaia allowed for a certain amount of superficial exchange, and a little trade, but little else, and Cook was intrigued by this upright, warlike and handsome people.

Taking into account similarities of appearance, customs and languages spread across a vast region of scattered islands, it was obvious that the Polynesian race emerged from a single origin, and that origin Cook speculated was somewhere in the Malay Peninsula or the “East Indies.” In this regard, he was not too far from the truth. The origins of the Polynesian race have been fiercely debated since then, and it was only relatively recently, through genetic and linguistic research, that it can now be stated with certainty that the Polynesian race originated on the Chinese mainland and the islands of Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Oceania was, indeed, the last major region of the Earth to be penetrated and settled by people, and Polynesia was the last region of Oceania to be inhabited.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

56 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Matthew Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rtc!

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very little about the Maori outside of just their relations with white people and their colonization. I didn't learn much about the Maori culture, religion, or history. Was let down. Wish the title was more descriptive as to what aspect of the Maori they were writing about.

[Amy Schlegel · Rating 2 out of 5]

White man’s book

I had hoped to get a feel for Maori culture from this book. However, it was a dry white man’s history of discovery and literally no information about the rich culture and history of Maori. Only an account of how assimilation took place after the “discovery”. Bleh and Blah.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn’t so much about the Maori culture as it is about their subordination by the British. If you are looking for cultural info, you won’t find very much here. As a history of colonialism, it fares better.

[zoe]

While this could be considered a decent introduction to the Maori peoples relationship with the Western world in Aotearoa (New Zealand) it was an incredibly anglicized version of events. There was little information from the perspective of Maori people and there was practically no information about their life pre-colonization.

Overall, kind of disappointing.

[Glen R. Renfrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gave me a better understanding of the history of New Zealand.

[Patricia Hunt Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good background

This short book has useful information about the Maori peoples in New Zealand and colonization by the English. Although I would have liked more depth on 20th century developments, it is sufficient information for someone who knew nothing and is planning a trip to New Zealand.

[Daniel Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding primer not just on the Maori and their culture, but also the early history of New Zealand both pre- and post-European settlement.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave me a better understanding of Maori history and culture. Their attitude towards war is fascinating. The text is a bit dry, but not a bad way to start learning about the topic.

I'd never heard this particular take on British expansion. Supposedly the government in England and the Crown were relatively fair with the residents in territories they claimed and had a desire to give them the full rights of citizens. However London is a long way from New Zealand and some of its other colonies and protectorates, leaving the boots on the ground "government" in those places to abuse the system liberally during the 1800s. Makes me feel better about my love for the British Empire.

[Rebecca Radnor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was going to New Zealand and wanted some books to listen to about the place and its people while road tripping. There just wasn't much on Audible filling that need, so I bought everything there was. There are TWO books by Charles River (editors) and there's a LOT of overlap between them. That said, this one does spend more time discussing the Maori... but if your going to get both books, be warned.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short book about some of the fascinating history of the Maori. Much of the history regarding how the Maori origins was guessed as they did not keep physical records and much of their lore appears to have been by mouth for quite some time.

If you are curious about the Maori, I highly recommend checking out this book and has increased my interest in learning more about the Maori.

Trigger warnings: violence, war, death, oppression, slaves

[Mahana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with deciding the rating for this book. While the author makes attempts (at times) to indicate to the reader that they are presenting an oversimplified account of events, they lacked either the skill or knowledge to explore these events from a Māori worldview as well. Useful when viewed as a list of events following European contact, but the title is misleading as the book lacks any true depth in its analysis.

[Patsy B. Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read before visiting New Zealand

I recently added this book to my Kindle collection before taking a cruise around New Zealand. I learned so much about the Maori from the book and it made all of the cultural experiences so much more meaningful. I especially recommend this book for travelers.

[Laura Koerber]

SHort but well written history. I don't know anything about the Maoris--this is my first book about them--so I can't evaluate the accuracy of the history. It is written well and I glided right through it. The way technology distorted their traditional culture was fascinating.

[Mikko Hynninen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful new information for me about the history of New Zealand. Doesn't cover much and there is no māori voice or opinions, which could be good. A good start for learning about the past of Kiwi culture.

[Samuel L · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information seemed to be very basic. It’s good for getting ones “feet wet” I guess. I was really looking forward to the book elaborating on the ‘history and legacy’ part of the title. However, it seemed more attention was given to the British colonization efforts of New Zealand. It is what it is.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed as this book primarily focuses on the British colonization of Aotearoa New Zealand and gives very little detail about the Māori. What information is provided is obviously told from a white perspective and grand generalizations are made. I’m disappointed I wasted my money on this.

[Matthew Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an absolutely horrible book. Whoever wrote this clearly has no idea what they're writing about; the amount of inaccuracies within the first few pages alone could fill another book, just showing how terrible they were.

[Vickie Woodard · Rating 3 out of 5]

SAD

Just another case of indigenous people being stomped on by colonizers. While the aborigines of Australia were found to hide or at least be friendly, the Māori fought back.
At first.
Captain Cook is a predominant name in this area of the world.

[Richard L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview. Some repetition. Though basically a chronological account, there was some jumping ahead or back for clarification. Worth the read.

[Dwight Kincy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maori

Gives a very detailed account about the colonization of New Zealand and a short history of the Maori people, good read.

[Squib · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, informative booklet on the history of Maori and their relationship to contemporary New Zealand. I thought it was going to be an actual booklet, but it seems to be a printed version of a kindle book.

[Dale L. Ricklefs · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is little written about the Maori, at least that we in the US can get our hands on. This is one of several books I ordered before our trip to New Zealand, especially as we chose to spend most of our 10 days on the north end of the North Island, travelling along the cost between Auckland and Cape Reina.

The type is painfully small, but the account of the history of New Zealand generally verified during our many museum and historical site visits. I am happy I read it before the plane landed in Auckland as I had a feel for the history before arriving.

Given the paucity of documentation- there is no written history pre-British settlement- the information was helpful.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading about the Maori of New Zealand. The Maori have a rich history.
The only part i was "confused" about was towards the end. A Maori was one of many prisoners who escaped from Stalag Lufft III in 1944. But was recaptured in 1943?