The Impact of Family Memory on the Descendants of a Missionary-Settler Family

Abstract

Henry and William Williams came to New Zealand as missionaries to Maori in the 1820s. Today many of their descendants still believe the family has a special relationship with Maori. Life narrative interviews were analysed to explore the ways in which this belief plays out in the lives of 5th and 6th generation descendants. Many simply believe they have greater empathy with Maori than most Pakeha, but for some it has greater significance, providing them with a sense of identity and belonging. The family myth is shown to act synergistically with the modern ideology of biculturalism and other cultural myths.