"Bruce Grandison Biggs (1921-2000) was the most influential figure in academic Maori studies in the 20th century, and is widely recognised as one of the founders of modern Oceanic descriptive and historical linguistics. In these 1992 Macmillan Brown Lectures, published here for the first time, the author draws upon his deep knowledge of Maori language and culture, and his studies in Oceanic linguistics to explore the "culture of the pre-19th century Maori." The lectures are an exquisite example of Bruce Biggs's unique and wide-ranging scholarship and the singular flavour of his expression."--BOOK JACKET.