Kōrero: European ideas about Māori

This engraving of a Māori warrior is a copy of a drawing by Sydney Parkinson, the artist on James Cook’s Endeavour. The strong physique of the man is consistent with Cook's judgements about Māori, and the fact that he is confidently holding a tewhatewha (a long-handled weapon) and a mere (club) reflects Cook's view that Māori were a 'brave, war-like people'.