Anne Salmond

phew, I have finally finished this behemoth of a book - a journey that has been as enlightening as it has been protracted.
"Tears of Rangi" discusses the meeting of two worlds - Te Ao Maori and Te Ao Pakeha. these two worldviews sit uneasily side by side in New Zealand , but Salmond deftly describes ways in which the two can intertwine, arguing that that is what the original signees of te tiriti had in mind.

Despite the century of wrongdoings and Injustice, much of which is deftly covered here , she highlights the positive strides that have been made in recent years , and discusses similarities between Maori world view and advances in science.

I recommend having this book by your bedside - it will take a while to get through , but it offers a history , philosophy and cultural lesson that many New Zealanders would benefit from.… (more)

There are many books which follow the explorations of Capt. James Cook as he traversed the South Seas. This volume, however, looks at Cook's discoveries from an anthroplogical point of view, telling about his encounters with the indiginous people of Tahiti, New Zealand, Tonga, Hawaii and other locations. Meticulous research went into the writing of this book, and the author has spared no detail in telling this very fascinating history. She looks at the way Cook and his sailors interacted with the natives, how their cultures clashed, how they were harmonious. South Pacific languages, trading goods, religious worship, warfare, sexual practices, ceremony, dance, navagation, crime and murder - all these subjects and more are contained within the book's pages. A very readable, and very thorough, endeavor.… (more)