Bruce Biggs recordings
Scope and Contents
The collection contains many recordings relating to Te Reo Māori, but also contains field recordings and word lists from a wide range of languages from the Pacific region, including: Niue; Fiji; New Guinea; Rapanui; Tokelau; Java and more.
As well as field recordings there are items which relate to teaching activities, such as lessons from his popular work ‘Let’s Learn Māori’.
Dates
- 1952 - 1986
Creator
- Biggs, Bruce (Person)
To request or comment
To request access to items in this collection, or to provide comment or corrections, please complete the following: Archive of Māori and Pacific Sound request form
Conditions Governing Access
PARTLY RESTRICTED.
Biographical / Historical
Bruce Biggs | Ngāti Maniapoto, was born in Auckland in 1921 and went on to become one of the most important figures in academic Māori studies in the 20th century.
Appointed a part time lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Auckland University College, in 1950, he was responsible for developing the University’s first Māori language courses. Biggs was instrumental in initiating the first programme in modern linguistics in New Zealand and co-founded the Linguistic Society of New Zealand.
In 1955 he moved to the United States where he completed a PhD in linguistics at the University of Indiana.
After working at the University of Hawaii for three years, he returned to Auckland to take up the newly created chair of Māori Studies and Oceanic Linguistics. A key condition of this move was that he be allowed to establish the Archive of Māori and Pacific Music, and appoint Mervyn McLean, as the inaugural director.
Officially retiring in 1983, Biggs continued to teach, research, and write, until his death in 2000.
Extent
6.29 metres (Includes 312 open-reel tapes and 3 audio cassettes)
Language of Materials
Maori
Niuean
Fijian
Rarotongan; Cook Islands Maori
Javanese
Papuan languages
Tokelau
Arrangement
Originally, the archive received recordings periodically, and assigned a straight year/running number to items as they arrived. For clarity, recordings have been grouped into series based on function and geographic location, then ordered by date where possible. Biggs' terminology and titling have been retained as much as possible.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Bruce Biggs in 1989.
- Title
- Inventory of the Bruce Biggs recordings
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- William Hamill
- Date
- April 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archive of Māori and Pacific Sound, University of Auckland Repository
Level 3, General Library
5 Alfred Street
Private Bag 92109
Auckland 1010 New Zealand
+64 9 923 5008
amps@auckland.ac.nz