Book

The coming of the Maori

Maori Purposes Fund Board; [distributed by] Whitcombe and TombsWellington • Published In 1952 • Pages:

By: Buck, Peter Henry.

Abstract
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.
Subjects
Literary texts
Mythology
Traditional history
Diet
Dwellings
Mats and basketry
Normal garb
Boats
Fishing
Fishing gear
Games
Musical instruments
Representative art
Priesthood
Ritual
culture
Maori
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Polynesia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Types
Ethnologist
Indigenous Person
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Hesung C. Koh ; 1963; John Beierle; 2007
Field Date
ca. 1910-1945
Coverage Date
1850-1945
Coverage Place
New Zealand
Notes
by Te Rangi Hiroa, Sir Peter Buck
Includes bibliographical references (p. [539]-544)
LCSH
Maori (New Zealand people)