Taua: Musket Wars, 'Land Wars' or Tikanga?: Warfare in Maori Society in the Early Nineteenth Century

by Angela Ballara

Musket wars, 'land wars' or tikanga (custom)? How are we to describe the destructive Maori inter-tribal warfare of the early nineteenth century? And just what is a musket war ? Is the very term 'musket war' a misnomer? Can a 'musket war' be so defined only if wars were fought because Mari owned muskets, and for no other reason? Why were so many wars fought, especially in the early contact period? And why did the wars diminish? Taua is the first major study of Mari warfare for decades. It asks the what if the nature of Mari society itself was the cause of the wars not the introduction of new and destructive military technology? Only after prolonged contact, argues Angela Ballara, did the cultural context of Maori warfare change. Drawing on Maori writers and sources and not just on earlier Pakeha scholars, this book re-examines some fundamental questions. Ballara s fascinating new analysis is of vital importance at a time when issues of Maori land loss and redress are being debated in the public arena.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

543 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Calebm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. The introductory and conclusion chapters are really useful examinations of a lot of aspects of traditional Māori society and how they changed over the first couple of decades of the 19th century. I found the middle: the actual description of the wars, to be rather heavy going. It's a lot of names and places and events that I don't really have a lot of context for. I mostly read the chapters related to where I'm from, or famous people I already knew about, so that I had the context to absorb it properly. Like the other reviewer I'm going to buy a copy for myself (it's well worth it) and I'll read the last couple of chapters I skipped then.

I read this after trying R.D. Crosby's book on the Musket Wars, and it's very obvious which one is the academic.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough but nevertheless quite readable exploration of Aotearoa's colonial history, by former Waitangi Tribunal member Angela Ballara.

[Bronwen Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesomely well written analysis, deeply thoughtful and inspiring to read. It is all excellent and enlightening, and the chapters on tapu, mana, utu, take are an outstanding contribution to the understanding of those ancient Maori concepts, and how they affected life. I read a library copy, then bought my own copy to keep and reread.