Maori at Dusky Sound

This engraving of a Maori family in Dusky Sound is from a drawing by William Hodges that was made during Captain James Cook's second visit to New Zealand in 1777.

The image depicts Maori as 'noble savages', a term associated with the romantic philosophy popular in this period. The indigenous person was redefined as being in some way 'exotic' and living in a culture/race that was uncorrupted. Living in harmony with nature, 'noble savages' were defined as being both physically and morally superior to Europeans who had become corrupted by the excesses of modern life.

The great majority of European visitors to New Zealand in the early contact period were not so generous in their views. They saw Maori society as vastly inferior to their own. Because Maori were in the majority, their custom and practices were tolerated because it was prudent to do so. Challenging and disrupting Maori society was not good for business. Some Europeans who lived with Maori gained an appreciation of the intricacies of the Maori way of life, but most did not.