The Past from the Paepae
The paepae is the place on the marae where elders stand, to deliver their speeches and, as it so happens, their versions of history. Speeches are an oral process of course. How do kaumātua bring to mind such histories, on such occasions? # During the 1990s, the compiling and writing of oral histories became a particular interest of Māori who were then setting out as ‘historians’, whether as Māori historians… Read more »
The Hunt for Willie Boy
The book ‘The Hunt for Willie Boy’ was published in 1994 and tells the story of a manhunt in Southern California in September 1929. Written by two fine ‘white’ historians (as Pākehā are called in the USA), the book’s essential point – how ‘Indian-hating has uncritically permeated popular culture in the USA – certainly resonates here in New Zealand. The Manhunt The focus of the manhunt was a young Chemehuevi Indian named Willie Boy who, it was falsely alleged,… Read more »
Wars Without End
The conflicts against Māori did not end when the last shots were fired in 1872. Instead, they carried over into the courts and Parliament. The section explores New Zealand after the wars.
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Global Native History
Covers the multiple and intersecting pasts of all native peoples around the world. This section explores the nature of this new and developing genre of history.
Visit Global Native HistoryDanny Keenan’s Published Works
Over the years, Danny (who is the writer of this site) has published widely on Māori and New Zealand history. His focus has mainly been Māori-State relations in the 19th Century, of which the New Zealand Land Wars were of course an important part. This section contains copies of Dr Keenan’s writings which you are free to access. Our hope is to eventually upload here everything that Danny has published to date.
Danny's Works
The Wars in Documents
This section brings together many of the important primary documents that help us to understand the origins and consequences of the New Zealand Wars.
Explore Documents
