A treatment of the effects of enforced alienation from the land upon a particular people. It examines how the British enterprise of colonization and Christianization stimulated the formation of Maori renewal movements to hold fast to their threatened land.

When subjecting the Maori, the aboriginal people of new Zealand, the British tried to avoid the mistakes they had made in Australia. This book explores the history of struggle the Maori have faced under British colonialism, in particular the ways that religion has been used as a means of alleviating despair. Rosenfeld (interdisciplinary studies, Marylhurst U., Oregon) examines three related prophetic movements (the King Movement the Pai Marire cult; and the Ringatu Church) showing how they formed a "Spirit tradition" with a special meaning that challenged the power of European settlers.