Anne Salmond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Anne Salmond
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Salmond in 2018
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| Born |
Mary Anne Thorpe
16 November 1945 Wellington, New Zealand
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| Spouse(s) |
Jeremy Salmond
(m. 1971; died 2023) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | James McDonald (great-grandfather) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Auckland |
| Thesis | Hui – a study of Maori ceremonial gatherings (1972) |
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Dame Mary Anne Salmond, born on 16 November 1945, is a famous New Zealand anthropologist. An anthropologist is someone who studies human societies and cultures. She was named New Zealander of the Year in 2013. In 2020, she received the Order of New Zealand, which is the highest honour given in New Zealand.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary Anne Thorpe was born in Wellington in 1945. She grew up in Gisborne. Later, she went to a boarding school called Solway College in Masterton. She was the top student there in 1961. In 1962 and 1963, she studied in the United States as an American Field Service scholar.
She attended the University of Auckland and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966. In 1968, she completed her Master of Arts in anthropology. She also got a teaching diploma that same year. Salmond then went to the University of Pennsylvania in the US. She earned her PhD there in 1972. Her main research was about Māori ceremonial gatherings, called Hui.
When she was a teenager in the US, Anne realised she didn't know much about Māori history. This inspired her to learn more about early Māori history. Her family has a connection to the Māori world. Her great-grandfather, James McDonald, was a well-known photographer and artist. He worked with important Māori leaders like Sir Āpirana Ngata.
In 1971, Anne Salmond married conservation architect Jeremy Salmond. They had three children. One of their children, Amiria Salmond, also became an anthropologist. They lived in Auckland until Jeremy passed away in 2023.
Career and Research
In 2001, Dame Anne Salmond became a Distinguished Professor at the University of Auckland. She taught Māori Studies and Anthropology. From 2002 to 2007, she was part of several important boards. These included the Museum of New Zealand and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. She also worked to help Māori, Pacific, and low-income students succeed in their education.
Important Books
Dame Anne Salmond worked closely with Eruera Stirling and Amiria Stirling. They were respected elders from the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou tribes. Their work together led to three books about Māori life:
- Hui: A Study of Maori Ceremonial Gatherings (1975) – This book won an award for its study of Māori culture.
- Amiria: The Life of a Maori Woman (1977) – This book won a Wattie Book of the Year Award.
- Eruera: Teachings of a Maori Elder (1981) – This book won first prize at the Wattie Book of the Year Awards.
Later, Salmond's research focused on the first meetings between Māori and Europeans in New Zealand. Her books showed that Māori were active participants in these encounters, not just passive subjects.
- Two Worlds: First Meetings Between Maori and Europeans 1642–1772 (1991) – This book won the National Book Award.
- Between Worlds: Early Exchanges Between Maori and Europeans 1773–1815 (1997) – This book also won an award.
She then explored how Pacific Islanders and European explorers first met. This led to three more books:
- The Trial of the Cannibal Dog: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Encounters in the South Seas (2003) – This book won the Montana Medal for Non-Fiction. It looks at how the relationship between Captain James Cook and Polynesians changed from friendly to hostile.
- Aphrodite's Island: the European Discovery of Tahiti (2010) – This book explores Tahitian society in the 1700s. It shows how Tahitians were active in their interactions with Europeans.
- Bligh: William Bligh in the South Seas (2011) – This book challenges common ideas about William Bligh. It describes him as a skilled sailor and mapmaker who understood different cultures. It also discusses the mutiny of the Bounty.
Her book Tears of Rangi: Experiments between Worlds came out in 2017. This book talks about different ways of seeing the world, like the Māori world (te ao Māori) and the European world (te ao Pākehā). It explores how these different views can come together.
In 2018, she hosted a history TV series called Artefact on Māori Television.
In 2021, Salmond wrote a series about new ways for New Zealand to work together. She suggested that understanding whakapapa (ancestral lines) could help all people in the country connect better. She believes New Zealand needs to move beyond thinking in "either/or" ways. Instead, it should combine mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) with modern science. This would help people understand the connections between all living things.
In 2023, she published Knowledge is a Blessing on Your Mind: Selected Writings, 1980–2020. This book is a collection of her writings over many years. It shows her journey as an anthropologist and a New Zealander. It highlights the idea that people in New Zealand can live and stand together, even with different cultures.
Public Views and Environmental Work
Dame Anne Salmond often shares her thoughts on cultural interactions in New Zealand. She has discussed the history of White supremacy in New Zealand. However, she also points out that early arrivals had ideas of justice and respect. She has re-examined the story of Captain James Cook's landing in New Zealand in 1769. She noted that while there were sad casualties, Cook was not necessarily a "white supremacist." She explained that Cook received different instructions before his voyage. Some told him to respect the local people, while others said he could take possession of land with their consent.
In 2020, Salmond shared her hope for a New Zealand worldview based on aroha (love) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship). These ideas could build stronger relationships between people and with nature. When the media company Stuff apologised for its unfair treatment of Māori, Salmond said this was a step towards living up to the promises of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Salmond speaks and writes a lot about environmental challenges. She wants to help people understand different cultural beliefs about the connection between people, land, rivers, and the ocean. In 1990, she became Deputy Chair of the Parks and Wilderness Trust. In 2000, she and her husband started restoring the Waikereru Ecosanctuary near Gisborne. She is also a patron for "Te Awaroa: 1000 Rivers." This project aims to restore 1000 New Zealand rivers by 2050.
She believes that those who profit from using waterways should help protect them. She says that rivers, lakes, and springs are vital for the land. We must protect them to avoid harm.
Salmond has also called for "nature-based solutions" to fight climate change in New Zealand. She wants to restore New Zealand's native forests. These forests support many plants and animals and store a lot of carbon. She has questioned the current approach that encourages planting many single types of foreign trees. These trees can cause erosion and harm waterways, especially during storms like Cyclone Gabrielle. She believes the government should listen to scientists and consider the impact on local communities.
Honours and Awards
In 1988, Dame Anne Salmond was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This was for her contributions to literature and the Māori people. In 1995, she was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her historical research.
She received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for non-fiction in 2004. In 2007, she became a founding Fellow of the New Zealand Academy for the Humanities.
In 2008, she was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. In 2009, she became a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences. She was the first New Zealander to achieve both these honours.
The Royal Society of New Zealand awarded her the Rutherford Medal in 2013. She was also named New Zealander of the Year for her work on cultural history.
In 2015, she was elected an international member of the American Philosophical Society. In 2017, she was recognised as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words" for her contributions to knowledge in New Zealand.
In 2018, she received a Carl Friedrich von Siemens Research Award in Germany. This award recognised her lifetime achievements in research. She was also a finalist for the Al-Rodhan prize for Global Cultural Understanding.
At the Blake Awards in 2020, Salmond received the Blake medal. This was for her work in building understanding between Māori and Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). In 2021, she was appointed to the Order of New Zealand for her services to New Zealand.
Salmond was the Honoured Writer at the Auckland Writers Festival in 2024.
