Oxford University has honoured Mākereti Papakura, believed to be the first indigenous woman to study at the institution, with a posthumous degree nearly 100 years after she attended.
Over 100 people from Aotearoa New Zealand flew over to attend the graduation ceremony which took place overnight in the UK. Papakura’s descendants were presented with her Master’s in Philosophy from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford.
Born in 1873, Papakura matriculated to the university in 1927 where she studied anthropology at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Her thesis explored the customs and practices of Te Arawa from a female perspective. In 1930, she died three weeks before she was due to present her thesis, but it was eventually published posthumously as a book, titled The Old Time Māori, by her friend and academic colleague TK Penniman.
Her descendants had been fighting for recognition of her achievements for decades.
Relative June Northcroft Grant received the degree certificate on behalf of the whānau. She said Papakura has been a legend in the family for over a century.
“We learned about her prowess as a guide, an entrepreneur, an entertainer, an astute businesswoman and an academic scholar when our parents and grandparents talked about her and their memories of her.”
She said their family had been telling Papakura’s story for decades and sharing her thesis as an important piece of history and knowledge for future generations.
“We never imagined that her work would be lauded and acknowledged. We, the Ihaia whānau of Ngāti Wāhiao, are humbled by the recognition and conferment of this great honour from Oxford University and all those individuals who were instrumental in making this happen,” said Northcroft Grant.
Held at the Sheldonian Theatre, the ceremony was presided over by Oxford University vice chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey.
“It is wonderful that so many of Mākereti’s descendants and community have travelled so far to join us in Oxford to celebrate this remarkable woman,” she said.
“We are delighted to recognise her academic achievements with a posthumous MPhil Degree and to acknowledge her influence as a scholar and as an inspiration to many in the Māori community and beyond.”
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa chief executive Evie O’Brien is a board member for the Pitt Rivers Museum. She said she connected with Papakura and her story during her time as the executive director at the Atlantic Institute, Rhodes Trust in Oxford.
“It is wonderful to be back in Oxford to see her work and contribution recognised by the University with the award of a posthumous degree,” she said.
“While Mākereti had a deep connection with her home and people in Aotearoa she also had a special connection with Oxford, choosing to be buried in Oddington, Oxfordshire, so it is fitting that we are marking this historic occasion with events reflecting both Oxford and Māori traditions.”
Following the graduation, a haka pōwhiri, speeches and kapa haka took place at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the site of the inaugural Mākereti Papakura Lecture in 2022.