2004 Tackling Mäori Masculinity: A Colonial Genealogy of Savagery and Sport. The Contemporary Pacific 16:259–284

In the nineteenth century Mäori masculine physicality was, like the untamed countryside, something to be conquered and civilized; in the twentieth century it was something to be harnessed to provide manual labor for New Zealand’s developing colonial nation; in the twenty-first century it has become a spectacle played out by the overachievement of täne (Mäori men) on the sports field.1 So how did a Mäori boy, who once reveled in the physicality of rugby and other physical pursuits, and who has completed bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees in physical edu-cation and sport, come to such conclusions? As a youth, my passion for the physical was not dissimilar to that of many boys of my age who grew up in rural New Zealand. I was raised in a masculine culture where it was necessary for both Mäori and Päkehä males to demonstrate their physical aptitude.2 In my hometown of Öpö-tiki,3 physical conquests, especially in sport, gave me confidence and allowed me to strive for success without facing ridicule. In contrast, aca-demic achievement was at best acknowledged but usually derided. Males had to be extremely confident in their physicality or face social ostracism. So embroiled in this masculine culture was I, that I believed it defined all New Zealand men, both Mäori and Päkehä. Looking back, however, I realize that while physicality was a common definer of New Zealand males, Mäori boys often faced barriers to the nonphysical realm that Päkehä boys did not. A turning point in my life experiences occurred in 1985 when a univer-sity careers adviser visited my school. When I asked him about studying physical education at university, he replied, “pe is not for you. It involve