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 5^th and 6^th 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.