Savaged to Suit: Maori and Cartooning in New Zealand
By (Author) Paul Diamond
Fraser Books
New Zealand Cartoon Archive
20th September 2018
New Zealand
Paperback
208
Width 200mm, Height 260mm
Mori and Cartooning in New Zealand is a pioneering study by Paul Diamond. In the earliest cartoons featuring Mori, they appeared as fearsome savages; today they are likely to be drawn in corporate-world suits. The book concentrates on the period from the 1930s to the 1990s, but also looks back to the first cartoons showing Mori and includes 21st century images.Savaged to Suit looks at how Mori and Mori culture and life were seen by cartoonists in a succession of stereotypes over many decades of changing perceptions and attitudes. The book considers how these stereotypes criticised Mori and their culture sometimes savagely to 'suit' cartoonists' agendas. Chapters deal with cultural practices, material culture, Mori language, politics, the Treaty of Waitangi,Mori in time of war, and the significance of sport. Paul Diamond also looks at the work and approaches taken by the small number of Mori cartoonists. The book features 250 cartoons the first ever collection that captures the attitudes and feelings of each period and underlines the importance of editorial cartoons as valuable historical sources.