Charles Goldie titled his 1913 portrait of Tūmai Tāwhiti (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Arawa) 'The last of the cannibals', reflecting the widespread view among Pākehā at the start of the 20th century that Māori were a 'dying race'. The evidence of declining Māori population was reinforced by Darwinian ideas about the ‘survival of the fittest’ to assert that the stronger Anglo-Saxon race was destined to outcompete less fit races such as Māori.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Aigantighe Art Gallery
Oil on canvas by Charles Goldie
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou