Outcasts of the gods? : the struggle over slavery in Māori New Zealand / Hazel Petrie.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

By black and red together, the work is done -- Tapu and mana: losing and regaining -- The roles, status, and rights of Māori war captives -- The value of captives and the impact of muskets -- Dark Helens and aboriginal Messelinas -- Taking British liberty and freedom to Māori -- Plucking brands from the burning -- Breaking the spiritual bonds -- 'Offensive to the English in the next degree to man eating'? -- Enslaved by the British? -- The language of slavery.

"Was Māori slavery 'just like' the experience of Africans in the Americas and were British missionaries or colonial administrators responsible for ending the practice? What was the nature of freedom and unfreedom in Māori society and how did that intersect with the perceptions of British colonists and the anti-slavery movement? Looks closely at a huge variety of evidence to answer these questions, analysing bondage and freedom in traditional Māori society; the role of economics and mana in shaping captivity; and how the arrival of colonists and new trade opportunities transformed Māori society and the place of captives within it"--Publisher information.