How is the theme of oppression featured within the vignettes about James Cook?

The crew of James Cook's vessel are determined to conquer the land, whether it is inhabited or not. Tokarczuk writes, “When a crew member mused aloud that such an extraordinary land must be inhabited, the next day they saw smoke over the bush” (269). The narrator concludes that “New Zealand was, it seems, the last land we invented” (269). The explorers then set about waging war on the Maori in order to claim the land they believe they have "invented" (269) by imagining it as their destination.