Maoria: A Sketch of the Manners and Customs of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand

Maoria: A Sketch of the Manners and Customs of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand By Captain John Campbell Johnstone.

The scene of action is on the west coast of the North Island, at a Maori pah or fortified village called Ngutukaka, near the mouth of the Waitebuna river, which we cannot find in the map of New Zealand. War among the native tribes, as in the story of "Ena," without the intervention of European arms or intrigues, gives occasion for the wild deeds and adventures presented here. The aged Ariki, or chief of the Ngatiroa, Te Au Te Rangi, has three lovely granddaughters—cousins, of course, to each other.

Of these maidens Ora and Tui are to us the most interesting; yet Hira is also an attractive girl. The tohunga, or sanctified public conjuror, in the community, is a clever impostor named Ngawhare; the hero, or true king of men, is Karaka, the old chief's bravest and ablest son.

Captain Johnstone has contrived to show us many particulars of Maori domestic life and manners.

Subjects, Maori, Biography, John Campbell Johnstone, Contemporary Maori, Contemporary Pacific Islands, Historical Maori, Historical Pacific Islands, Language, Literary Criticism History, Literature, New Zealand History, Science Natural History, Correspondence.