Listen to this clip from a 2000 radio interview with the Pākehā cultural go-between Dame Anne Salmond. As a teenage university student in Auckland, Salmond met East Coast elders Eruera and Amiria Stirling, who accompanied her to the Māori ceremonial gatherings that formed the subject of her first book, Hui. Salmond was made a dame in 1995 for services to New Zealand history. Her great-grandfather, James McDonald, was also a cultural go-between and made valuable photographic and film records of Māori subjects in the early 20th century.
Transcript
Because they didn't see too many young Pākehā in particular on the marae, people thought it was quite cute in a way. I mean it was a bit of a joke really. Eruera used to get me to bring in the bags and then talk to me in Māori so I could answer back and then everybody would laugh and kind of let her, it was a bit like being a a bit of a side show or something, a kind of amusement. And because I was with them I had a kind of access and I was under a kind of cloak I suppose, it couldn't have been much better. The old people were in all sorts of different tribal areas were very, very strong presence. The language was very, very strong. Things that were happening on the marae, very powerful stuff going on.
Using this item
Reference: 060509NZHMSSALMOND.JPG
by Martin Sykes
Sound file from Nga Taonga Sound and Vision. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Nga Taonga Sound and Vision (Tohu Pakeha - Anne Salmond/Reference number 27024).Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.