The Fresh and The Salt Author:Olga Stringfellow Author's Note: — We must hold fast to our Maorihood! Let us no more marry with the white man, lest in time with the mixing of the bloods there be no true Maori left in the land of his father's. Remember--when the fresh water mingles with the salt, the fresh is lost! — Haoni Papita of Rangiaowhia, Chief April 23, 1857 — The background of this novel ... more »and many of the actual incidents it contains are a part of history. From 1840, when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, until 1847, there was still intermittent fighting between certain tribes and the British regiments stationed in the colony, but for thirteen years thereafter the Maoris lived in amity with the white settlers and accepted Queen Victoria as their ruler. The more farsighted welcomed the end of inter-tribal warfare and the higher standard of living brought about by agricultural improvements and the teaching of the missionaries.« less