Ratana : the prophet / Keith Newman.

Includes bibliographical references (p.250-255) and index.

Preface: Threads in the tapestry -- 1. Preparing the way -- 2. The big fish story -- 3. Light in the darkness -- 4. Healing escalates -- 5. Doctrines of division -- 6. Royal rejection -- 7. Denominations close rank -- 8. American expedition -- 9. Good News from afar -- 10. The physical works -- 11. A Laboured alliance -- 12. Light from the east -- 13. A premature affair -- 14. Sign of the broken watch -- 15. The Parliament of Ihoa -- 16. Passing of the prophet -- 17. Drawn and quartered -- 18. Beyond the clouds.

Throughout history, certain individuals with a rare passion for justice and a gift of insight have been able to rally and motivate people through periods of great social change, sometimes defying all odds and being greatly misunderstood in the process. Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana was such a man, called to prominence at a pivotal time, with a message for the Maori people and for the wider world. After a profound vision he became a healer of people's physical ailments and a lifter of ancient curses; and he was also a leader in healing the 'land sickness' of the Maori, after decades of land confiscation by the Government and the Crown. As founder of the Ratana Church and the Ratana movement, he led his followers in the quest to unite all Maori under one God, and to restore the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of the nation, giving Maori equal rights to British citizens. Ratana - The Prophet, based on some 20 years of research, distils for a general audience the extraordinary depth of T. W. Ratana's political, spiritual and social legacy.