Groundbreaking Māori Anthropologist’s Oxford Work Re-examined Nearly a Century Later
Oxford, England – The legacy of Makereti Papakura, a pioneering Māori scholar whose ethnographic research at Oxford University was tragically cut short in 1930, is experiencing a resurgence in academic adn public interest. Her posthumously published work,The Old-Time Māori,remains the first ethnographic study authored by a Māori writer and continues to be a landmark achievement in anthropological literature.
Born in Aotearoa in 1837, Papakura embarked on studies at Oxford University in 1927, focusing her research on the customs of her iwi, Te Arawa, specifically from a woman’s outlook – a novel approach for the time. Her work garnered respect from Oxford’s academic community,but her promising career was halted by her untimely death just weeks before her thesis presentation. Fellow anthropologist T.K.Penniman, a Rhodes Scholar, secured permission from Papakura’s whānau to publish her research, resulting in the 1930 release of The Old-time Māori.
The New Zealand royal Society has formally recognized the significance of Papakura’s contribution, solidifying her place as a foundational figure in Māori scholarship. Recent renewed attention to her work highlights the importance of Indigenous voices in academic research and the enduring value of her unique perspective on Māori culture. Her story serves as an inspiration for contemporary Māori researchers and a reminder of the challenges faced by early Indigenous scholars navigating Western academic institutions.
