New Books: Pākehā-Māori Narratives, by Trevor Bentley

This book is a collection of 20 first-hand accounts written or dictated by European men who voluntarily crossed cultures to live and trade among the Māori tribes of New Zealand during the 1800s. Valued conduits to prized flintlock muskets, munitions and general trade goods, they were soon firmly integrated into the communities of their hosts, becoming in the process, a distinctive hybrid class, recognised and described by both cultures as Pākehā Māori.

The narratives cast light on the cultural adaptations made by these entrepreneurial adventurers, their place in tribal hierarchies and their relationships with rangatira, tohunga and tribe. More importantly, they provide valuable eyewitness accounts of Te Ao Māori (the world of Māori), particularly their social order, beliefs, values and customary practices in times of peace and war. Packed with drama and action, the narratives create a vivid picture of Maori and Pakeha interactions during the 1800s.

With notes that provide biographical, historical and cultural context, the anthology reveals how important Pākehā Māori were in shaping early race relations. Many thousands of New Zealanders, both Māori and Pākehā living today are the descendants of these bicultural mediators of meaning. Of interest to Bay of Plenty readers will be the narrative of the Maketu based trader Phillip Tapsell, who, along with his flax agents and sailing vessels, was active at Tauranga, during and beyond the 1830s.

A member of the Tauranga Historical Society, Trevor regularly contributes illustrated articles under the headings: ‘Early Vessels and Visitors to Tauranga’ and ‘Early Tauranga Traders’. He has a long-standing interest in the interaction of Māori and Pākehā in 19th century New Zealand. His primary interest is the Europeans who entered Māori tribal societies voluntarily or as captives. This is Dr Bentley’s eighth book to explore this subject and era.

Trevor's current research and writing project is a Copyright Licencing New Zealand funded history to be published under the title ‘Te Kaewa –The Wanderers: Māori Sailors on EuroAmerican Ships, 1790s- 1890’.

New Books: Transgressing Tikanga, by Trevor Bentley

During the 1800s published stories about Europeans captured by 'savages' thrilled and horrified British, Continental and North American audiences. Hugely popular and known as captivity narratives, they entertained urban readers and frightened those still living on colonial frontiers.

This anthology contains 20 first hand captivity accounts written or dictated by 16 European men and four women captured by iwi throughout New Zealand between 1816 and 1884. Some were seized when they unknowingly transgressed tikanga Maori (the customary laws of tapu, utu, mana and muru). Others were seized when they or their countrymen committed blatant acts of aggression against Maori. Two of the women (Maria Bennett and Mary Jane Briggs) were captured when they were shipwrecked. Bennett escaped and Briggs was freed by her captors.

The captives were held for weeks, months and in several cases for years before they were rescued or ransomed, for utu (redress) could be obtained by preserving life as well as taking it. Some escaped and others were freed by their captors. Of interest to Bay of Plenty readers will be the captivity of John Atkins (Whakatane, 1829), George Budd (Opotiki, 1834) and James Curlett (Tauranga, 1867).  A government surveyor seized at Paengaroa during the Tauranga Bush War of 1867, Curlett spent six months amongst Maori 'rebels' in the Kaimai Ranges before escaping and travelling to Cambridge.

Packed with drama and action, the narratives create a vivid picture of Maori and Pakeha interactions during the 1800s. They also provide rich insights into Maori life, including the principles of captivity and utu, social order, religious practices, everyday customs and the conduct of warfare. Each narrative is followed by a brief essay providing historical and cultural context.

This anthology makes an important contribution to understanding the cross-cultural tensions from which contemporary New Zealand society has emerged. Many anthologies containing first hand accounts by Europeans captured by American Indians and North Africa's Barbary pirates have been published overseas. Transgressing Tikanga is New Zealand's first anthology of Maori captivity narratives.

Trevor has a special interest in researching and writing about the interaction of Maori and Pakeha in pre-Treaty New Zealand. He is currently contributing a series of vignettes to the Society’s website titled ‘Early Vessels and Visitors to Tauranga.’ Transgressing Tikanga is Trevor’s sixth New Zealand history book.

The publisher's site (https://www.pottonandburton.co.nz) allows you to read a sample captivity narrative. The book is also  currently available in all local Paper Plus and Whitcoulls stores.

Patrick Freeburn Keenan and His Family - Book Review

Patrick Freeburn Keenan and His Family by Patricia Brooks
Edited by Sophie Levestam, Design by Donella Jones
ISBN 978-0-473-45792-1, Kale Print, Tauranga
Softcover, 84 pages

Review by Lee Switzer

The author is clear. The book is about her grandfather, whose biography is only printed here in great detail because so many family members from the past collected stories, newspaper reports and photos.

The book is filled with family photos and multiple quotes from original letters describing family members and their activities. Patrick Freeburn Keenan (1872-1955) is the grandfather of author Patricia Brooks. She is named after him, and like Patrick, nicknamed ‘Paddy.’

The book is generally well referenced. However, no source is given for this statement: “By 1915 Tauranga was the first town in the world to have electric street lights and an all-electric home.” p41.

Keenan Road, Freeburn Rd and Molloy Rise are named after families who lived in the area off  Pyes Pa Rd.

The organisational layout of the book must have been a mind swirling jigsaw of placing families, individuals and events into a coherent whole. In large part, the author has succeeded well in providing lineages backward and forward within the contexts of distant relatives, their 1800s activities in Ireland, and voyages to Australia and New Zealand.

As expected, New Zealand history is an integral part of the family history. Patrick Keenan was born to Francis and Sarah Keenan in Greenstone, New Zealand, a town  across the river from Kumara, midway between Greymouth and Hokitika.

After working in several different gold dredging operations and marrying Mary Jane Walsh  (1872-1944) in 1904, Greymouth, they moved to North Island towns. The couple and 4 childrern; Thomas, Ellen Sarah (Nell), Pat, and Alice eventually landed, fully, and finally in Tauranga, 1918. With farms in Pyes Pa, various other family members worked the land, took children to school first in Greerton and later to other schools.

The authors’ parents, Ellen Sarah Keenan (1910-1970) and Brian Patrick Molloy (1911-1979) were married in 1936. Six siblings arrived from this union: Mary Elizabeth, Margaret Winifred  Patricia Alice, Marc, Terence Michael (currently a Tauranga City Councillor) and John Joseph.

Patricia Keenan married Norman Brooks in 1961. Brooks provides details about living on the farm, Greerton School history and other aspects of Grandfather and Grandmother Keenan and Mother Molloy’s life with animals, town and country organisations, friendships, kinships.

There are many anecdotes in the book and several little-mentioned events in New Zealand history such as the Battle of Addisons Flat, 1868 one of the first riots on the West Coast, and the “Douglas Movement” referring to the Douglas Credit Party in the 1930s.

The book is loaded with individual facts, dates of birth and death, often burial locations. On a final note, near the end of the biography there is an unsuspected puzzle piece with twists to finding relatives. It has to do with DNA, a photograph, an unwed mother who gave her twins up for adoption, and who would not tell the adult women who their father was. The answer is in the book. (Hint: their new brother was very happy to discover his sisters.)

Closing the Keenan saga are numerous pages with diagrammed genealogical branches.

Book Review: Greerton Township and Surrounding Farms, by Robert Craig Scott

Greerton Township and Surrounding Farms: Early Settlement on Confiscated Land
Written and published by Robert Craig Scott, 303p, 2017
Reviewed by Lee Switzer

Greerton Township and Surrounding Farms is thoroughly researched, despite lapses, covering a huge number of families and individuals in the district. Numerous streets are named after local farm owners who nurtured the land. Other land owners developed businesses in Tauranga and elsewhere. This is not just a list of names, however. Scott provides genealogical backgrounds of residents. They came from other parts of New Zealand, Australia, the Greater Empire and other countries.

Scott makes great use of land survey and lot maps highlighting various sections in multiple colours with good explanatory text. As expected, families were involved in businesses throughout the region, not just Greerton.

There is a Table of Contents, an index but no dedication, acknowledgements or bibliography. Photos generally are not attributed to any source. There is very little information about the village’s namesake: Col Greer who fought in the NZ Wars. And on whose property Maori signed documents accepting the Crown’s dominance. Greer had one of the two Pakehas, who spoke te reo Maori, jailed because he was not collaborating with the Government’s line of seizure and bequest (Stokes, Evelyn, 1980, A History of Tauranga County, p80.)

Scott uses NZ Government online data for some of his research. He notes errors in the site when dates are listed. He too makes errors with dates and misspells names from time to time. Sentence structure is a little awkward in places.

On page 138 is a photo of a headstone, again not attributed, with the appellation Peter Allan Grant. Beneath the name is Patrick Allan Bannerman on the headstone.  Scott says "I am not sure what the significance of Patrick Allan Bannerman is."  A quick internet search established that Mr Grant's full name was Peter Patrick Allan Bannerman Grant. It is his baptism name. References can be found on the Tauranga Memories page and a genealogy web page.

Of the Kerr family, John Andrew Bathurst Kerr, member of the Camel Corps died in battle 19 April 1917. Scott says the forces "lost 6,444 men in battle." The figure may have come from this wiki summary, "509 killed, 4,359 wounded, 1534 missing."

It is apparent Scott spent a huge amount of time and diligence writing the many short bios of numerous people who often began their lives in England, Scotland or elsewhere. Some who joined the 1st Waikato Militia in Australia were shipped to NZ with the promise of land when the NZ Wars ended. Greerton being part of the lands given after hostilities ended.

Greerton Township and Surrounding Farms is a comprehensive, very useful addition to the expanding shelf of local history monographs.