Notes on the Art of War - As Conducted by the Maori of New Zealand.

Very good used condition. Slight sun-fading on spine.

In 1895 Best was despatched by the government to the Urewera country with a brief to collect and record as much information as possible from Tuhoe, the iwi then considered to have had the least contact with Europeans. Already one of the leading ethnographers of the Maori, Best immersed himself in the world of `Tuhoeland'. From interviews conducted with elders over the ensuing months and years emerged an extensive body of writings, of which this book forms a significant part. It constitutes a wide-ranging primary account about Maori warfare before and shortly after the arrival of the sailing ship, the musket and the Bible. This edition reproduces Best's original articles with limited editorial revisions and additions, and over 30 photographs and illustrations have been introduced to complement the text...