Chapter ii. contains a tradition as to Maori Cosmogony more particular in some details than I have ever met with elsewhere. My informant had been educated to become a tohunga; but had afterwards becom
This historical and anthropological account of the Maori of New Zealand was published in 1854 by the English physician and colonial administrator Edward Shortland (1812–93). Shortland was deeply interested in Maori culture, learned the language, and wrote ethnographic studies including The Southern Districts of New Zealand (1851) and Maori Religion and Mythology (1882), also included in this series. In various roles including 'Protector of Aborigines', he often served as interpreter, and played an active role in mediating not only between Europeans and Maori, but between different Maori factions. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Shortland's approach was to interact with the Maori rather than merely observe them. In this book, Shortland often cites named Maori individuals as his sources, which makes his treatment of topics such as tapu, land tenure and rites of passage distinctive. He also covers Maori cosmology and origin narratives, genealogies, education, proverbs, songs and
First published in 1882, Edward Shortland's study is an important account of Maori mythology, religion and concepts of authority. Shortland (1812–93), an English-born physician and ethnographer, first arrived in New Zealand in 1841 to work for the newly formed colonial government. He later served as a government interpreter, Sub-Protector of Aborigines, and Native Secretary during his time in New Zealand and spent much of his career interacting with Maori. This concise book is the result of years of careful research into Maori beliefs and customs, based on narratives and songs dictated to Shortland, or written down for him to translate. It includes a particularly detailed account of Maori cosmogony, lists of Maori vocabulary relating to kinship and to the spirit world, several karakia (prayers) and extensive notes on the naming and claiming of land and the Maori understanding of land tenure.
