Bruce Biggs
Encyclopedia
Bruce Grandison Biggs (Ngāti Maniapoto
) became an influential figure in the academic field of Māori studies in New Zealand
. The first academic appointed (1950) to teach the Māori language at a New Zealand university, he taught and trained a whole generation of Māori academics.
, Biggs attended New Lynn Primary School and Mt Albert Grammar School - the contemporary of Robert Muldoon
and of lifelong friend the future historian Keith Sinclair
. He qualified as a teacher at Auckland Teachers College
and served during World War II
in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
in Fiji
, where he became fluent in Fijian
and collected word lists, grammar notes and folklore. After the war he married Joy Te Ruai Hetet and they had four children. They taught in Te Kao
and Wairongomai, near Ruatoria
. During these rural postings Biggs began to learn the Māori language
.
. From 1951 to 1955 Biggs taught Stage 1 Māori language while completing his BA studies in education and anthropology. Proposals to advance Māori language study above Stage I level initially received much condemnation from academics in other disciplines: they expressed (unfounded) concerns about the lack of a sufficient body of written material on which to base a syllabus. After completing his MA, Biggs took leave to study structural linguistics
at Bloomington, Indiana
, where in 1957 he completed a PhD thesis entitled The Structure of New Zealand Maaori.
in 1967-1968 before returning to New Zealand in 1969, where he remained until he retired in 1983.
, the official body overseeing the language set up by Māori Language Act 1987, choose to standardise on the use of macrons to represent long vowels.
, Sir Robert Mahuta, Koro Dewes
, Roger Oppenheim, Richard Benton, Wharehuia Milroy, Bernie Kernot, Merimeri Penfold, Tamati Reedy, Dame Anne Salmond
, David Simmons, David Walsh, Peter Ranby, Pita Sharples
, Parehuia Hopa, Margaret Orbell, Bill Tawhai, Bill Nepia and Margaret Mutu
.
Biggs was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand
in 1969. He served as President of the Polynesian Society
from 1979 to 1993, and in 1985 received the Society's Elsdon Best
Memorial Medal. In the 1990s the Queen awarded him a CBE
and an OBE for services to education and the Māori people.
and Rotuman
languages. His most well-known books include:
Ngati Maniapoto
Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the waka Tainui...
) became an influential figure in the academic field of Māori studies in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The first academic appointed (1950) to teach the Māori language at a New Zealand university, he taught and trained a whole generation of Māori academics.
Early life
Born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Biggs attended New Lynn Primary School and Mt Albert Grammar School - the contemporary of Robert Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
and of lifelong friend the future historian Keith Sinclair
Keith Sinclair
Sir Keith Sinclair, CBE was a poet and noted historian of New Zealand.Born and raised in Auckland, Sinclair was a student at Auckland University College, which was then part of the University of New Zealand. He was awarded a Ph.D...
. He qualified as a teacher at Auckland Teachers College
Auckland College of Education
Auckland College of Education was a college of education located in Auckland, New Zealand. On 1 September 2004 it amalgamated with the University of Auckland and formed a new Faculty of Education with the university’s School of Education.-History:...
and served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain during World War I and World War II. Ultimately, the NZEF of World War I was known as the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, where he became fluent in Fijian
Fijian language
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
and collected word lists, grammar notes and folklore. After the war he married Joy Te Ruai Hetet and they had four children. They taught in Te Kao
Te Kao
Te Kao is a district on the Aupouri Peninsula of Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 1 passes through the district. Cape Reinga is 46 km to the north, and Houhora is 24 km to the south...
and Wairongomai, near Ruatoria
Ruatoria
The town of Ruatoria is located in the East Coast region of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second largest centre of population in the sparsely populated region, yet has a population of only 900 .- Geography :...
. During these rural postings Biggs began to learn the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
.
University career
In 1950 he won appointment to the first position in a New Zealand university dedicated to the teaching of the Māori language. The idea for this position came from Ralph Piddington, then head of the Anthropology Department at the University of AucklandUniversity of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
. From 1951 to 1955 Biggs taught Stage 1 Māori language while completing his BA studies in education and anthropology. Proposals to advance Māori language study above Stage I level initially received much condemnation from academics in other disciplines: they expressed (unfounded) concerns about the lack of a sufficient body of written material on which to base a syllabus. After completing his MA, Biggs took leave to study structural linguistics
Structural Linguistics
Structural linguistics is an approach to linguistics originating from the work of Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. De Saussure's Course in General Linguistics, published posthumously in 1916, stressed examining language as a static system of interconnected units...
at Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, where in 1957 he completed a PhD thesis entitled The Structure of New Zealand Maaori.
Linguistics
In 1958 Biggs and Jim Hollyman founded the Linguistics Society of New Zealand and its journal Te Reo and soon after Biggs began teaching linguistics courses in the Auckland University anthropology programme. Within ten years Auckland had become the centre of Polynesian linguistics, and Biggs taught for two years at the University of HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1967-1968 before returning to New Zealand in 1969, where he remained until he retired in 1983.
Orthography for Māori
Biggs was a major proponent of the double vowel orthography for Māori, in which long vowels are marked by a doubling of the vowel. This approach has the advantage that it can readily be used using existing technology. However the Māori Language CommissionMaori Language Commission
New Zealand's Māori Language Commission is an autonomous crown entity set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 with the following functions:...
, the official body overseeing the language set up by Māori Language Act 1987, choose to standardise on the use of macrons to represent long vowels.
Legacy
Biggs taught a number of people who went on to become well known academics in Māori studies, including Pat Hohepa, Hirini Mead, Ranginui WalkerRanginui Walker
Ranginui Joseph Isaac Walker, DCNZM is a Māori academic and writer living in New Zealand. He was educated at St Peter's Maori College, Auckland, Auckland Teachers' Training College and Auckland University. Walker is a member of the Whakatōhea tribe of Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty. Walker was a...
, Sir Robert Mahuta, Koro Dewes
Koro Dewes
Te Kapunga Matemoana "Koro" Dewes was a kaumatua of the Ngāti Porou iwi of New Zealand. He was a pioneer of Māori education and an advocate for the Māori language....
, Roger Oppenheim, Richard Benton, Wharehuia Milroy, Bernie Kernot, Merimeri Penfold, Tamati Reedy, Dame Anne Salmond
Anne Salmond
Dame Mary Anne Salmond, DBE, FRSNZ, FBA is a New Zealand historian, anthropologist and writer.-Background:Salmond was born in Wellington in 1945 and grew up in Gisborne, before being sent to board at Solway College in Masterton...
, David Simmons, David Walsh, Peter Ranby, Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
, Parehuia Hopa, Margaret Orbell, Bill Tawhai, Bill Nepia and Margaret Mutu
Margaret Mutu
Professor Margaret Shirley Mutu is a Ngāti Kahu activist, leader and academic from Auckland, New Zealand. Her iwi are Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whātua....
.
Biggs was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Royal Society of New Zealand
The Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
in 1969. He served as President of the Polynesian Society
Polynesian Society
The Polynesian Society is a non-profit organization based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history, ethnography, and mythology of Oceania....
from 1979 to 1993, and in 1985 received the Society's Elsdon Best
Elsdon Best
Elsdon Best was an ethnographer who made important contributions to the study of the Māori of New Zealand.-Early life and career:...
Memorial Medal. In the 1990s the Queen awarded him a CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
and an OBE for services to education and the Māori people.
Selected bibliography
Biggs published over 100 books and articles on Māori language and culture, Polynesian comparative linguistics, Polynesian languages and literature as well the FijianFijian language
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
and Rotuman
Rotuman language
Rotuman, also referred to as Rotunan, Rutuman or Fäeag Rotuma, is an Austronesian language spoken by the indigenous people of the South Pacific island group of Rotuma, an island with a Polynesian-influenced culture that was incorporated as a dependency into the Colony of Fiji in 1881...
languages. His most well-known books include:
- Maori Marriage (1960)
- The Complete English-Maori Dictionary (1966)
- Let's Learn Maori (1969) (revised editions 1973, 1998)
External links
- http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/publications/reports/yearbooks/2000/obituaries/bruce-biggs/
- Pawley, Andrew. (2001). Bruce Biggs, 1921-2000: A Tribute. Oceanic Linguistics, (40)1: 1-19.