Missionaries and Maori

The Church Missionary Society Founded in 1799 Evangelical Anglicans Anti-slavery Missions in Asia, Canada, Africa, South America, Australia Anti-Catholic

Michael King on Maori Religion Maori religious beliefs about atua, tupua, mana, tapu, noa and mauri – harmonised the workings of mind and body and spiritual realities with physical ones. The whole existence was bound up in a unified vision in which each aspect of life was related to every other… Maori believed already in atua; it did not require a large movement of faith to believe in a single God.

Samuel Marsden The “flogging parson” Meeting with Ruatara in Sydney in 1809 Ruatara and Hongi Hika’s guarantee of protection Marsden’s letter to the Church Missionary Society

Marsden’s First Sermon

James Belich on Maori Control of Missionaries When Ruatara died in 1815, the missionaries were bereft of their protector and naturally considered leaving NZ. But they were soon comforted by the other chiefs, notably Hongi Hika. Until his death in 1828, the Christian mission was essentially his vassal. If Marsden was the St Augustine of New Zealand then Hongi Hika was the Emperor Constantine…

Why did Maori chiefs want to have missionaries?

But then there were… Musket Wars Three strands… Utu The defeat of Napoleon The correction of the Grammar Book by Kendall, Hongi Hika and Waikato, 1820 Meeting Baron de Theirry and King George and taking their gifts Spending spree in Sydney More later…

Conversion? Between 1814 and 1828 virtually no Maori “converted” to Christianity but by Maori had been baptised. Why?

Fatal Impact – Harrison Wright In 1959 Harrison Wright argued that war weariness and disease caused Maori to convert. Due to the Musket Wars and diseases they lost faith in their own beliefs and switched to a “more powerful” God.

Growing Independence of the Mission – JMR Owens In 1968, JMR Owens argued that the key to missionary success was the death of Hongi Hika. This enabled the missionaries to extend their influence which Hongi Hika and Ruatara had previously restricted The importance of Henry Williams

Maori Initiative – Judith Binney Her 1969 article was a response to Owens Maori chose to convert to Christianity for their own reasons The role of the missionary as a peace-maker was important

They Converted Themselves and Christianity – James Belich 1996 Making Peoples Maori society was open to new beliefs. The end of the musket wars meant that slaves returned from Nga Puhi to their own tribes with knowledge of Christianity and literacy The new ideas were changed so that they suited Maori.

Evidence of Maori Agency #1 The Papahurihia Belief

Henry Williams’ Letter about Papahurihia In some districts the word of God is received with gladness. In others it is rejected and opposed. Some new doctrine has recently appeared among the people, at least new in name, for they borrow no less a one than ‘Nakahi’, the native name for the serpent…Also Papahurihia, who relates wonders. They observe the sabbath, but not with us, as it is on the Saturday…

…They have services & baptism and profess to know the scriptures. I have not yet been able to meet with any of these leading men, tho I have frequently been challenged, but Papahurihia has invariably been out of the way. The new doctrine has been brought forward by some, who after residing awhile with us and having a superficial knowledge, have gone two-fold more the child of the devil than before.

Evidence of Maori Agency #2 Tarore Epitaph video

Tarore was a student at the CMS school in Matamata. Her father, Ngakuku was an important chief of Ngati Haua. She was murdered in the musket wars by Arawa Maori who also pinched her Luke’s Gospel (Te Rongopai o Ruka). When Ripahau, a released slave of Nga Puhi reached Rotorua, he read the book to Arawa and as a result of his teaching many of them converted to Christianity. (This is great evidence of Maori Agency, because it proves that some Maori were converted by other Maori). In the end there was a remarkable reconciliation between Ngakuku and his daughter’s murderer as they had both converted to Christianity.

Evidence of Maori Agency #3 Wiremu Tamihana Set up a Christian community at Peria, near Matamata When asked if he had given up his belief in all his old gods he said… “Oh no but Christ is the most powerful atua” Polytheism

Evidence of Maori Agency #4 The Maori Madonna Missionaries were horrified when Mary and Jesus were given moko in some Maori carvings but it actually showed that Maori were honouring Jesus and Mary.

Belich on “Conversion” Making Peoples pages , 177