Story: Hōkakatanga – Māori sexualities

Sleeping soldier watched over by a Māori woman

Sleeping soldier watched over by a Māori woman

In this watercolour painting from the mid-1800s a soldier is asleep in a whare (building) while being watched over by a Māori woman, who looks at him affectionately. When European explorers visited New Zealand, and later when settlers arrived, liaisons between European men and Māori women were common.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: A-113-034

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.

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How to cite this page:

Clive Aspin, 'Hōkakatanga – Māori sexualities - Early Māori sexuality', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/31694/sleeping-soldier-watched-over-by-a-maori-woman (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Clive Aspin, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 22 Jan 2019