Māori History

I received an ARC of this book; the views I express here are entirely my own.

I didn't know much about the Māori at all, except the barebones–that they are the indigenous people of New Zealand, and that colonialism drove them almost to extinction. And while I'm now by no means an expert (the book itself goes to great pains to say it can't possibly cover everything), I do feel considerably more informed about the Māori culture and history.

This is also an interesting look at cultural isolation and its effects; I had no idea that the Māori were as young as 600-700 years, or that they came from Polynesia. And after just a handful of generations, neither did the Māori, as they had built up oral traditions, histories, and culture all their own in such a short time, and practically believed themselves to be the only people on earth until, of course, the Europeans arrived.

Overall, I like how the author(s) were respectful to the culture and the people, and encouraged the reader to seek out more information if interested, with a bibliography at the back that I personally intend to use. Even so, this is a wealth of information about a people we don't generally learn much about, very well presented in one place. I would recommend it.