Transgressing Tikanga

Download or read book Transgressing Tikanga written by Trevor Bentley and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transgressing Tikanga is a collection of [twenty] first-hand accounts written by Europeans who were captured by Maori between 1816 and 1884. These Pakeha men and women were seized when they either committed blatant acts of aggression or unknowingly transgressed tikanga Maori (customary law), for which utu was required. These captivity narratives are packed with drama and action, and are not always easy reading, but they create a vivid picture of nineteenth-century interactions between Maori and Pakeha. They provide a rich insight into early Maori life, including the principals of captivity and utu, social order, religious practices, everyday customs, and the conduct of warfare. With notes that give detailed historical context, Transgressing Tikanga makes an important contribution to understanding the cross-cultural tensions from which contemporary New Zealand society has emerged."--Back cover.