North West China was historically a border region with the beginning of the ancient Silk Road, much desert terrain, and mainly Muslim inhabitants including some nomads and rather fierce tribal groups. Xinjiang Gansu Shaanxi QinghaiSouth-central China Photo: Inkey, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Southern Centra...
The locals cultivate potatoes, trees whose sap is made into alcoholic spirits, and a hatred of Maori, who raided the islands for centuries before the British conquest. Adultery, whether by men or by women, is still considered a serious crime (although no longer carrying the death penalty); ...
All of these newcomers had a profound effect on Māori life. Warfare and disease reduced numbers, while new values, pursuits, and beliefs modified tribal structures. Christianity cut across the sanctions and prohibitions that had supplied Māori social cohesion. A capitalist economy, to which Māori...