The Polynesian Society is a non-profit organisation based at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history, ethnography, and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

History

The society was co-founded in 1892 by Percy Smith and

Edward Tregear Edward Robert Tregear , Ordre des Palmes académiques (1846–1931) was a New Zealand public servant and scholar. He was an architect of New Zealand's advanced social reforms and progressive labour legislation during the 1890s. Biography He was ...

, largely in response to a conviction, widely held at the time, that the Māori and other Polynesian peoples were a dying race. Smith and his friends hoped that it would help to preserve the traditional lore of the Māori before it disappeared and provide scholars with a forum for learned discussion of their ethnographic research (Byrnes 2006). The initial membership of the society was 112, which had grown to 1,300 by 1965. Presidents have included

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s H. W. and W. L. Williams; James Pope, Edward Tregear, Percy Smith,

Elsdon Best Elsdon Best (30 June 1856 – 9 September 1931) was an ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of the Māori of New Zealand. Early years Elsdon Best was born 30 June 1856 at Tawa Flat, New Zealand, to William Best and the for ...

, William Skinner, Sir Āpirana Ngata, Harry Skinner, J. M. McEwen, Professor Sir Hugh Kawharu and Dame Joan Metge. The present president is Dr Richard Benton. Until her death in 2006, the society's patron was the

Māori Queen Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the ...

Te Arikinui Dame Te Ata-i-rangi-kaahu (1931–2006); Dame Te Ata was succeeded by the current patrons, Le Afioga Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Head of State of Samoa, and Te Ariki

Tumu Te Heuheu Tumu may refer to: *Tumu, Ghana, town in Ghana, upper west region. * Tumu, Libya, a checkpoint on the Libya–Niger border *Tumu Crisis The Crisis of the Tumu Fortress (), also known as the Tumu Crisis (; mn, Тумугийн тулалдаа� ...

, Paramount Chief of

Ngati Tuwharetoa ''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea. Production ''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...

Publications

From its earliest days, the society published the quarterly ''Journal of the Polynesian Society'', which became the society's principal means to publish information about the indigenous peoples of

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

, and

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

. The journal is a rich repository of the traditions of Oceania. Its first editors were S. Percy Smith and Edward Tregear. Smith was its chief contributor until his death in 1922. The list of subsequent editors includes W. H. Skinner, Elsdon Best, Johannes C. Andersen, H. D. Skinner, C. R. H. Taylor, W. R. Geddes, W. C. Groves,

Bruce Biggs Bruce Grandison Biggs (4 September 1921 – 18 October 2000) was an influential figure in the academic field of Māori studies in New Zealand. The first academic appointed (1950) to teach the Māori language at a New Zealand university, he tau ...

, Melvyn McLean and Richard Moyle. The present editors are Judith Huntsman and Melinda Allen. In addition to this journal, the society has published many notable monographs, including S. Percy Smith's ''History and Traditions of the Taranaki Coast'' (1910) and ''The Lore of the Whare Wananga'' (1913–15); A. Shand's ''The

Moriori The Moriori are the native Polynesian people of the Chatham Islands (''Rēkohu'' in Moriori; ' in Māori), New Zealand. Moriori originated from Māori settlers from the New Zealand mainland around 1500 CE. This was near the time of th ...

People of the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

'' (1911); Elsdon Best, ''The Maori'' (1924) and ''Tuhoe'' (1925); J. C. Andersen, ''Maori Music'' (1934); and C. R. H. Taylor, ''A Pacific Bibliography'' (1951), and two catalogues of the Oldman Collection of Māori and Polynesian artifacts (2004). Other major works include A. Ngata and

Pei Te Hurinui Jones Pei Te Hurinui Jones (9 September 1898 – 7 May 1976) was a Māori political leader, writer, genealogist, and historian. He identified with the Ngāti Maniapoto iwi. As a leader of the Tainui confederation of iwi and of the Kingitanga mo ...

''Nga Moteatea'' (1959–1990), a definitive four-volume collection of traditional Māori song with translations and commentaries, which has been published in a new, enhanced edition by

Auckland University Press Auckland University Press is a New Zealand publisher that produces creative and scholarly work for a general audience. Founded in 1966 and formally recognised as Auckland University Press in 1972, it is an independent publisher based within The ...

in association with the Polynesian Society. A history of the society and its journal, M. P. K. Sorrenson's ''Manifest Duty: The Polynesian Society over 100 years'', and a ''Centennial Index 1892–1991'' (D. Brown, compiler) were published in 1991.

References

*Brown, Dorothy (compiler), Centennial Index 1892–1991. Memoir No. 50. Auckland, The Polynesian Society. * *Sorrenson, M.P.K., "Manifest Duty: The Polynesians Society over 100 Years". Memoir No. 49. Auckland, The Polynesian Society.
Encyclopedia of New Zealand
*

External links

The Polynesian Society websiteJournal of the Polynesian Society – online issues
{{authority control Learned societies of New Zealand University of Auckland Historical societies Polynesian mythology Polynesian culture Polynesian-New Zealand culture in Auckland Oceanian-New Zealand culture in Auckland 1892 establishments in New Zealand Organizations established in 1892 History organisations based in New Zealand

History

Publications

See also

References

External links