In revenge for the cruel treatment of one of their chiefs, Whangaroa Māori attacked and burned a visiting ship, the Boyd, in 1809. This 1839 drawing shows two dead sailors in the foreground. Three waka (canoes) are heading for the ship, while other Māori are already climbing its rigging. The massacre held up Samuel Marsden's plans to start a mission in the Bay of Islands.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
PUBL-0034-2-390
Engraving by Louis Auguste de Sainson
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Add new comment