Te Rangi Hīroa

Te Rangi Hīroa

Sir Peter Henry Buck (* Oktober 1877, † 1. Dezember 1951 in Honolulu), besser bekannt als Te Rangi Hīroa, war ein prominentes Mitglied seines Ngāti Mutunga Māori-Stammes in Neuseeland, Sportler, Chemiker, Arzt und später Politiker. Er war Träger der britischen Orden Order of St. Michael and St. George und Distinguished Service Order.

Frühes Leben

Peter Buck wurde in Urenui, Neuseeland geboren, als einziges Kind von William Henry Buck. Er wurde erzogen von William und dessen Frau Ngarongo-ki-tua, obwohl sie nicht die biologische Mutter war. Entsprechend den Gebräuchen, wenn ein Paar feststellen muss, dass sie keine Kinder haben können, stellte sich eine von Ngarongos Verwandten, Rina, als biologische Mutter zur Verfügung. Rina starb allerdings früh nach Peters Geburt.

Peter Buck stammt mütterlicherseits von Māori ab, namentlich vom Stamm der Ngāti Mutunga der Taranaki-Region. Dessen Stammesälteste nannten ihn Te Rangi Hīroa zu Ehren eines berühmten Vorfahren. Väterlicherseits ist Peter Buck englischer und irischer Abstammung. Peter wurde überwiegend in einer von Pākehā geprägten Umgebung erzogen, lernte allerdings durch seine Mutter und deren Verwandten die Sitten und Gebräuche auch die Sprache der Māori.

Seine Mutter starb 1892. Ab 1899 dann studierte Peter Buck an der Universität von Otago Medizin und Chemie.

Studium und Arzt

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.

In November 1905 Buck was appointed as a medical officer to the Māori, 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 Māori communities around the country.

Parlament und Krieg

Te Rangi Hīroa holding a taiaha, circa 1930

In 1909, Hone Heke Ngapua, Member of Parliament for Northern Māori 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.

During the First World War, Buck helped in the recruitment of a Māori 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.

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.

Anthropologie

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 Māori culture. He was also gaining a strong reputation as a lecturer, notably with his lecture on 'The Coming of the Māori'. 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.

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.

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.

Despite his absence from his homeland, Buck remained in close contact and took an active interest in Māori 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.

Te Rangi Hīroa Medaille

1997 führte die Royal Society of New Zealand die Te Rangi Hīroa Medaille ein, um Leistungen in den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften zu ehren. Sie wird alle zwei Jahre verliehen.