Reproduction of the original: Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, volume lll by Karl Ritter von Scherzer

Published in 1861-3, this three-volume work documents the first globe-spanning scientific expedition of the Austrian navy in 1857-9.

Published in 1861-3, this three-volume work documents the first globe-spanning scientific expedition of the Austrian navy in 1857-9.

Reproduction of the original: Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, volume l by Karl Ritter von Scherzer

Published in 1861-3, this three-volume work documents the first globe-spanning scientific expedition of the Austrian navy in 1857-9.

‘Us Maoris used to practice slavery just like them poor Negroes had to endure in America . . .' says Beth Heke in Once Were Warriors. ‘Oh those evil colonials who destroyed Maori culture by ending slavery and cannibalism while increasing the life expectancy,' wrote one sarcastic blogger. So was Maori 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 Maori society and how did that intersect with the perceptions of British colonists and the anti-slavery movement? A meticulously researched book, Outcasts of the Gods? looks closely at a huge variety of evidence to answer these questions, analyzing bondage and freedom in traditional Maori society; the role of economics and mana in shaping captivity; and how the arrival of colonists and new trade opportunities transformed Maori society and the place of captives within it.