Abstract:
This thesis discusses some of the challenges to the authority, the mana Maori,
of East Coast Maori during the nineteenth century. While drawing upon
accounts of experiences of Maori along the East Coast and in Hawke's Bay,
this thesis is primarily concerned with the experiences of Maori in the
northern Hawke's Bay/Mahia region. The topic of mana Maori is discussed in
a different context in each of the four chapters: traditional society and
European contact, the gospel and missionary presence, negotiations for land,
and the issues of law and war. The study is concerned with chieftainship,
rangatiratanga, and how various challenges to mana Maori were met as chiefs
attempted to retain their authority.