John White (ethnographer)

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John White (1891)

John White (born January 3, 1826 in Cockfield , Durham , England , † January 13, 1891 in Whakatāne , New Zealand ) was a British-born New Zealand ethnographer .

Life

John White was born on January 3, 1826, one of eight children of the Francis White family and his wife Jane Angus, in Cockfield , northern England. White's father was a blacksmith. In 1834 the family emigrated to New Zealand, presumably at the initiative of White's uncle, William White , who lived and worked as a missionary for the Wesleyan Methodist Church in the Hokianga Harbor area . The ship on which the family was traveling was shipwrecked on Norfolk Island on May 17, 1835, and so they did not reach their destination on the Surry , New Zealand, until November 1835 . The family settled in Mata , north of Hokianga Harbor , where they made a living from farming and timber trading and socialized in the Wesleyan community .

In his early 20s and still living with his parents, John White found his life monotonous and isolated and sought contact with other farmers and the Māori . He began to educate himself, read a lot, especially poetry, novels, plays, and became interested in music. Above all , he was fascinated by the traditional Māori chants and soon he had a collection of several hundred Māori songs.

In the 1840s, then Governor George Edward Gray became aware of White when he sent him manuscripts of traditional Māori music. In 1851 the family moved to Auckland and White got a job as a secretary and translator with Governor Gray and was appointed official interpreter by Gray on November 3, 1852 . As a result, he was given the position of deputy representative of the Coromandel gold fields, which he had previously assisted in opening the negotiations.

In 1854 he moved to the country Purchase Department of Donald McLean and traveled on behalf of the government official, the North Island , bought Māori place of birth in the area of Auckland , interpreted for senior officials and for the British Army in 1860, the province New Plymouth against Māori fought. In late 1862 he was appointed acting deputy secretary for Māori affairs and began on October 6, 1862 as magistrate in the region around Wanganui to negotiate civil and criminal matters in disputes between Māori . He remained in this position until April 17, 1865 and then took over on May 12, 1865 the task of commissioner for land purchase.

After the Land Purchase Department was dissolved in October 1865, White moved briefly to the Auckland Provincial Government , in order to earn a living as a kind of private broker for Māori land in 1866 . On December 10, 1867, his contract with the Provincial Government was completely canceled for lack of money. On October 17, 1867, White acquired a license to prospect for gold in the Thames gold fields , but was unsuccessful.

From May 19, 1870 he got another job, this time at the Native Land Court , where he worked as a translator and in this capacity later for the Auckland Native Land Court and as a land broker for various people and organizations, including the tribe of Ngati Te Ata , which are based west of Auckland .

Between 1874 and 1878 he wrote articles for Te Wānanga , a Māori newspaper , and with his experience and reputation, White was finally called in 1879 to write the history of the Māori . He did this from April 10, 1879 to September 30, 1890. The work was published successively in six volumes from 1887 to 1990 under the title The ancient history of the Maori, his mythology and traditions . from 1990 onwards White worked again as a translator in the Native Land Court and then died suddenly on January 13, 1891 at the age of 65 on the way to a court hearing in Whakatane .

family

On March 13, 1854, he married Mary Elizabeth Bagnall in Auckland . The marriage had eight children.

Works

  • 1874 - Te Rou , or the Maori at Home . A Tale, Exhibiting the Social Life, Manners, Habits, and Customs of the Maori Race in New Zealand Prior to the Introduction of Civilization Amongst Them . Forgotten Books , 2018, ISBN 978-0-243-20910-1 (English, first published in London in 1874).
  • 1882 - Revenge A Love Tale Of The Mount Eden Tribe . AH and AW Reed , Wellington 1940 (English, original edition 1882).
  • 1885 - Lectures on Maori Customs and Superstitions . Being the Subject of two Lectures delivered at the Mechanics' Institute in Auckland during the Year 1861 . Government Printer , Wellington 1885 (English).
  • 1887–1890 - The ancient history of the Maori, his mythology and traditions . 1890 (English, work in 6 volumes, issues from 1887 to 1890).

literature

  • Michael PJ Reilly : White, John . In: Department of Internal Affairs (Ed.): Dictionary of New Zealand Biography , 1769–1869 . Volume I . Allen & Unwin , Wellington 1990 (English, online [accessed May 31, 2020]).
  • John O'Leary : John White, 1826-1891 . In: Kōtare . 7 No. 2 , 2008, p. 48–54 (English, online [PDF; 93 kB ; accessed on May 31, 2020]).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Reilly : White, John . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography , 1769-1869 . 1990.
  2. ^ A b c O'Leary : John White, 1826-1891 . In: Kōtare . 2008.
personal data
SURNAME White, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Waiti, Hone; Waiti, Parata; White, Hoani
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand ethnographer
DATE OF BIRTH January 3, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH Cockfield , Durham , England
DATE OF DEATH January 13, 1891
Place of death Whakatane , New Zealand