Two Worlds: First Meetings Between Maori and Europeans, 1642-1772

by Anne Salmond

An ethnographic approach to the story of the first meetings between Maori and Europeans in New Zealand. Drawing on local tribal knowledge as well as European accounts, Salmond discredits the modern histories that trace their lineage from European discovery tales, and clearly reveals that both Maori and Europeans were active in these meetings and followed their own practical and political agendas. Thoroughly illustrated in b&w. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

477 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

Dame Mary Anne Salmond DBE (née Thorpe, born 16 November 1945) is a New Zealand anthropologist, environmentalist and writer.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Worlds is the first in the three-book journey that culminated in the very popular Trial of the Cannibal Dog (see my review). It is probably a good thing that I am reading them out of order, because Two Worlds is even better than Cannibal Dog, and my assessment of that book could have been affected if I had read Two Worlds first.

Telling the stories of the first three contacts between Maori and European, it begins with Tasman, moves onto the first Cook expedition, and ends with that tragedy of misunderstandings, de Surville's sojourn in the Bay of Islands. This last section is an absolute page-turner. It reads like a novel, and is almost impossible to put down.

In each section, Salmond carefully delineates the social situation in the discoverer's home country at the time, and then describes the background of the area in New Zealand the ship visited, so that comparisons are invited, drawing the reader into the book. I wondered if I loved this study because of my interest in the Endeavour voyage, so asked my book group to read and discuss it. They all loved it. Their only complaint was that it was heavy to carry around. They had borrowed their copies, but just about everyone said she was going to buy it for her own collection.

A truly marvellous study, thoroughly recommended.

[Simon Mee · Rating 5 out of 5]

While about 30 years old, this retelling of the first four European explorations of New Zealand (Dutch, British and two French) still circulates widely in bookstores and libraries. While the date of first full colonization of New Zealand by Maori has since been pushed back by about 500 years from the 800 AD date stated in this book, the rest of the information within still feels fresh and insightful, particularly that pre-discovery Maori were not a static society.

While only James Cook's visit could be described as comprehensive, all four show how the mental framework of the Europeans and Maori clashed. Both sides were willing to resort to violence and kidnappings (see Cape Kidnappers for an example) where misunderstandings arose, although the dynamics between the parties changed over time due to trade and communication. However, more time together was not always better, as Marion Du Fresne fatally found out.

While New Zealand specific, the book has wider appeal, both in the time taken to describe the different elements of Maori life (i.e. what kind of things were important to the first explorers?), and that even how even observers could be have their frames of reference changed. The British, having spent three months amongst the Tahitians and, as speculated by Salmond, altered in their view of beauty, found Maori women attractive. The French, lacking such exposure to Polynesians before visiting New Zealand, strongly thought otherwise.

Hard to go past as a real life first contact set of stories.

[Cameron Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth account of the earliest meetings between Maaori and Europeans, covering Tasman, Cook, and two French voyages. Because of the extent of his voyage, the material dealing with Cook takes up most of the book. Salmond works with journals and later tribal accounts, with some comment on the archaeological record, in order to provide detailed pictures. She focusses not simply on European perception (though because of the breadth of the written evidence this tends to dominate anyway), but how Maaori perceived their visitors. There are some important acts of cruelty and impunity on the part of Europeans that New Zealanders would do well to familiarise themselves with. There is also opportunism and violence on part of the Maaori, but the reader should remember that it was their land and territory that was being entered into. There is also mutual misunderstanding at points, sometimes producing tragic results. Highly recommended, I have next volume that I will begin reading soon.

[Geoff Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely required reading if you want to understand New Zealand and the history of dealing with Māori by white settlers
Should be compulsory reading in New Zealand schools

[AskHistorians]

This work looks at the earliest meetings of Māori and European, and analyses the effects of these encounters.