Book
The coming of the Maori
Maori Purposes Fund Board; [distributed by] Whitcombe and Tombs • Wellington • Published In 1952 • Pages:
By: Buck, Peter Henry (Te Rangi Hīroa).
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a detailed and sympathetic study of Maori culture based on the life-long research of a well known Maori ethnologist. He consulted all important literary sources, interviewed Maori elders, particularly to ascertain folk stories, and used his keen observational skill in collecting the data. This document is divided into four major sections: 1. discussion of Maori origins and racial affiliations, 2. material culture, 3. social organization, and 4. religion. It contains excellent data on technology. Various objects and methods of manufacture are described with accuracy and thoroughness. The sections on social organization and religion include less new material than that of material culture, but the author illuminates the scientific facts with his personal experiences and flashes of insight. Buck was a member of parliament, a minister of the Crown, and Director of Maori Hygiene in the Health Department (had M. D. degree) in New Zealand. His experience in bringing about changes in Maori concepts of sickness and health as a medical official provides excellent material for the theory of planned change. His experience as a member of a Maori war party and the vivid account of warfare are good cases of 'collective behavior' and leadership. It is not always clear whether some of the customs described applied to the Maori people as a whole or were confined to one or a few tribes only. However, his comparative analysis of Maori culture with other Polynesian data makes it not only a significant source on Maori culture but also an important addition to general Polynesian ethnology. The author, later, became professor of anthropology at Yale University and the Director of Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Literary texts
- Mythology
- Traditional history
- Diet
- Dwellings
- Mats and basketry
- Normal garb
- Boats
- Fishing
- Fishing gear
- Games
- Musical instruments
- Representative art
- Priesthood
- Ritual
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Maori
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2009
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Oceania
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Polynesia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Indigenous Person
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Hesung C. Koh ; 1963; John Beierle; 2007
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- ca. 1910-1945
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1850-1945
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- New Zealand
- NotesAdditional notes
- by Te Rangi Hiroa, Sir Peter Buck
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [539]-544)
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Maori (New Zealand people)