The Coming of the Maori (1962) by Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck)

This is a second-hand copy of the book The Coming of the Maori by Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck).

Condition: This is a used book in good condition. The dustjacket is worn with creasing and glue residue from a protective sleeve (now removed) - see photos. A previous owner has written their name inside the front cover - see photos. The dust jacket has now been covered in a non-adhesive PVC cover for its own protection. This is simply folded in place and is easy to remove without damaging the jacket.

Publisher: Maori Purposes Fund Board
Year: 1962
Format: Hardback with dustjacket
Pages: 551
Condition: Used (Good)

Sir Peter Buck - Te Rangi Hiroa (Ngāti Mutunga) had a scholarly career of extraordinary variety and achievement. Educated at Te Aute College, he became a doctor and then - as part of a rising generation of Māori leaders including Apirana Ngata and Maui Pomare - went into politics. However, his passion was for anthropology and he established himself as a leading authority on Māori material culture, taking up a role as a visiting professor at Yale University in 1933 and eventually becoming Director of the Bishop Museum in Hawaii in 1936.  It was early in his career in 1923 that Te Rangi Hiroa made his mark by delivering a paper entitled "The Coming of the Māori" at the Pacific Science Congress in Melbourne. This paper was eventually expanded into the book featured here and The Coming of the Māori (1949) was regarded for many years as a standard introduction for university students studying Māori and anthropology. This important work was written in the final chapters of Te Rangi Hiroa’s pioneering and internationally outstanding career. The publication covers Māori history from the discovery of New Zealand, including Māori speech, food, houses, mats, weaving, clothing, tools, canoes, fishing, games, music, weapons, decoration, art, family, religion and warfare. Exercising a scientific rigour, Te Rangi Hīroa extended the edges of Māori and Pacific knowledge through an approach that was practical, empirical and pragmatic, rather than abstract and theoretical.