Notes

the forgotten story of New Zealand's white slaves /
Trevor Bentley.

348 pages :

illustrations (some colour)

Summary: Slavery in the popular imagination has always been associated with the enslavement of Africans. Slavery, however, is universal. Throughout history, slavery has been practised in many different forms. This book discusses Pākehā (European) vassals or demi-slaves. Its main focus is the Europeans who lived and sometimes died as slaves in tribal New Zealand between the 1790s and 1880s. It examines when, where, why and how Māori obtained these slaves and the types of Europeans seized. It explores the diverse slave roles performed by white slaves, their sale prices and the immediate and long term physical and psychological effects of their servitude. Using published histories by hapu and iwi historians, writings by Māori scholars, captivity narratives by returned Pākehā slaves, and contemporary accounts in newspapers, journals, letters and logs historian Trevor Bentley charts the interaction between Māori and Pākehā and life in the early days of the colony.