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The Maori As He Was : A Brief Account of Maori Life as it was in Pre-European Days

Preface

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Preface

The want of a brief account of the Maori folk of New Zealand, of their ancient customs, beliefs, institutions, and industries, has been long felt. Inquiries for such a work are frequently made. It is therefore hoped that this condensed account of the Maori as he was will serve to meet the above-mentioned demand. The aim has been to touch on all phases of Maori life in pre-European days, and albeit detailed descriptions are impossible in so small a work, yet the reader will be enabled to picture Maori life as it was in neolithic times.

The account of Maori mythology and religious beliefs serves to illustrate the mentality of the natives of these isles. Evidence is given that shows the forbears of the Maori to have been a people possessed of a vivid imagination and a mythopoetic turn of mind, while their higher concepts point to powers of introspective thought that neolithic folk are not usually credited with.

Some of the illustrations represent artifacts in the Auckland and Whanganui Museums, and my thanks are due to the authorities of those institutions for permission to use such illustrations.

E. B.

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