Te Rangi Hiroa (Peter Buck)

Peter Henry Buck (ca. October 1877 - 1951), known for much of his life as Te Rangi Hiroa, was a prominent Maori of the Ngati Mutunga iwi.

Related Topics:
Maori - Ngati Mutunga - Iwi

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He was born in Urenui, New Zealand, the only child of William Henry Buck. He was raised by William and his wife Ngarongo-ki-tua, though she was not his biological mother. According to local custom, when the couple found themselves unable to have children, one of Ngarongo's relatives, Rina, became part of the household and produced a child for the couple.

Related Topics:
Urenui - New Zealand

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Peter Buck was descended on his Maori (maternal) side from the Taranaki iwi of Ngati Mutunga, whose elders renamed him Te Rangi Hiroa in honour of a notable ancestor. His paternal ancestry was English and Irish. Though he was largely brought up within the Pakeha community, Ngarongo-ki-tua and his great aunt Kapuakore instilled a love of Maori tradition and language in him.

Related Topics:
Taranaki - Pakeha - Language

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After Ngarongo's death in 1892 he moved with his father to the Wairarapa. In 1896 he started attending Te Aute College, one of the country's leading secondary schools for Maori. In 1899 he was named dux and passed a medical examination, entitling him to attend the University of Otago Medical School.

Related Topics:
Wairarapa - Te Aute College - University of Otago

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Buck did well at Otago Medical School, where he also excelled in sport, becoming national long jump champion in 1900 and 1903. He completed his MB and ChB in 1904, and an MD six years later. During this time, in 1905, he married Irish-born Margaret Wilson. Their long marriage was often fiery, but was strong, and it was Margaret who often gave the impetus to Peter's career.

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In November 1905 Buck was appointed as a medical officer to the Maori, working under Maui Pomare, initially in the southern North Island, then in the far north. Between them Pomare and Buck campaigned successfully to improve sanitation in the small Maori communities around the country.

Related Topics:
Maui Pomare - North Island

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In 1909, Hone Heke Ngapua, Member of Parliament for Northern Maori died suddenly. Buck was singled out by Native Minister James Carroll to be his replacement. Buck accepted and was elected, becoming a member of the Native Affairs Committee. He did not seek re-election in 1914 and left parliament. By this time, Buck had developed an interest in Pacific Island peoples, working briefly as a medical officer in both the Cook Islands and Niue during parliamentary breaks.

Related Topics:
Hone Heke Ngapua - Member of Parliament - James Carroll - Cook Islands - Niue

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During the First World War, Buck helped in the recruitment of a Maori volunteer contingent. Buck joined this contingent as medical officer, travelling to the Middle East in 1915. He took part in the Battle of Gallipoli, later being awarded a Distinguished Service Order for his heroics. He later saw action in France and Belgium, before being posted to the No 3 New Zealand General Hospital at Codford, England in 1918.

Related Topics:
First World War - Battle of Gallipoli - Distinguished Service Order - Codford - England

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Returning to New Zealand, Buck was appointed as Chief Maori Medical Officer, and in 1921 was named director of the Maori Hygiene Division in the Department of Health.

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Buck's active interests by now included Polynesian anthropology, in which field he worked with Elsdon Best. By the late 1920s he had become a leading authority on Maori culture. He was also gaining a strong reputation as a lecturer, notably with his lecture on 'The coming of the Maori'. In 1926, the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Hawaii offered Buck a five-year research position which, after initial hesitation, he accepted. Buck was able through this to carry out extensive anthropological investigations of many of the Pacific Island groups.

Related Topics:
Anthropology - Elsdon Best - Bernice P. Bishop Museum - Hawaii

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In 1932-1933, Buck was appointed as Bishop Museum visiting professor of anthropology at Yale University. This allowed him to travel further, visiting the extensive anthropological collections in North America and Europe. At the end of his term, he was chosen as director-in-waiting for the Bishop Museum, its then-current director (Herbert Gregory) being due to retire in 1936.

Related Topics:
Yale University - Herbert Gregory

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Buck became widely known as a circuit lecturer in both Hawaii and the mainland United States, and garnered a string of academic awards and in 1946, he was knighted, gaining a KCMG, and also received one of Sweden's highest awards, the Order of the North Star.

Related Topics:
United States - Knighted - KCMG - Sweden - Order of the North Star

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Despite his absence from his homeland, Buck remained in close contact and took an active interest in Maori health. He was in regular correspondence with old friend Apirana Ngata, and is believed to have regularly become very homesick. He finally returned home in 1949, but by this time his health was failing due to cancer and he regarded the visit as a final pilgrimage. He died in Honolulu on December 1, 1951, his ashes being brought back to Urenui.

Related Topics:
Apirana Ngata - Homesick - Honolulu - December 1 - 1951

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In 1997, the Academy of The Royal Society of New Zealand established The Te Rangi Hiroa Medal to recognise excellence in the Social Sciences. The medal is awarded biannually.

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