Magda Wallscott Explained

Louise Magdalene Teowaina Wallscott (25 December 1898 – 17 February 1999) was a Māori activist, teacher and weaver.

Early life

Magda Wallscott was born at Pipikaretu Beach, Ōtākou, the daughter of Ema Karetai, Kāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu, and Frederick Wallscott, a professional soldier from Saxony, Germany.[1] Her great-grandfather was John Karetai, known as Chief Karetai, one of the signatories of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.[2] [3] Karetai's mere pounamu Kahutai was passed through the family to Wallscott, who then loaned it to Otago Museum in the 1970s where museum kaitiaki continue to guide its care.[4]

Wallscott attended Te Waipounamu Māori Girls' College in Christchurch, and then in 1918 entered Christchurch Training College and boarded at Bishopscourt Hostel until 1921. Wallscott was taught to weave flax in Taieri by her aunt Ripeka Martin (formerly Karetai).[5] For several years, she taught at small schools in Stewart Island, Bluff, Wyndham, Clifton, Invercargill and Dunedin.[6]

From 1944 to 1948 Wallscott taught at the Ōtākou Native School, and during this time began an active role at the Ōtākou Marae which continued for 30 years. Although Wallscott never married or had children, she raised her niece Iri Wallscott as whāngai, which is a traditional method of open adoption among the Māori people of New Zealand.[7] After retiring from teaching in 1953, Wallscott began a new career in community service that she maintained into her 90s.

Māori Women's Welfare League

Wallscott was a founding member of the Māori Women's Welfare League, and was the Ōtepoti Representative of the league for many years.[8] Other Ōtepoti branch members included Victoria Potiki, Taka Moss, Rumatiki Wright and Jean Robinson. Wallscott made significant contributions to the league over many years.[9] She relished the achievements of the Ōtepoti branch – "We have made our voice heard ... we are listened to ... we have just simply been so sincere that people have taken notice of us."[10] In 1968, Wallscott accepted the McEwen trophy on behalf of the Te Waipounamu branch of the Māori Women's Welfare League, awarded to the area showing the greatest yearly increase in membership.[11]

Other community work

Notable achievements

Death and legacy

During the early 1990s, Wallscott contributed audio recordings of her local place names to Ngā Ingoa o Aotearoa: An Oral Dictionary of Māori Placenames.[13] In 1999, she donated many of her personal papers and archives to the Hocken Manuscripts and Archives Collection. These included letters from friends and family, papers relating to land issues, the Māori Women's Welfare League, appointment diaries, notebooks, music and songs.[14]

Wallscott passed away on 17 February 1999, two months after her 100th birthday[15] At the time of her death, Wallscott was the oldest surviving member on Ngāi Tahu's tribal roll.[16]

Notes and References

  1. 1999. Poroporoaki: Aunt Magda Wallscott. Te Karaka: The Ngai Tahu Magazine. Autumn/Kahuru. 1–2.
  2. Web site: Louise Magdalene Teowaina (Magda) Wallscott . komako.org.nz. 2020-04-05.
  3. Book: Seed-Pihama, Joeliee Elizabeth. Ko wai to ingoa? The transformative potential of Maori names: A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato The University of Waikato. The University of Waikato. 2017. 121.
  4. Web site: Kahutai carries mana of great chief. 2018-07-30. Otago Daily Times Online News. en. 2020-04-05.
  5. Book: Wanhalla, Angela C. . Transgressing boundaries: A history of the mixed descent families of Maitapapa, Taieri, 1830–1940: A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at the University of Canterbury . University of Canterbury . 2004 . 210 . Angela Wanhalla.
  6. Book: Johnston, Edith Lorraine. An Annotated Bibliography of te reo material held in the Hocken Manuscript and Archives Collection: Submitted to the School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Library and Information Studies. Victoria University of Wellington. 2008.
  7. Web site: Louise Magdalene (Magda) Teowaina Wallscott (1898–1999). Bartlett. Dan. Kareao.
  8. Web site: Interview with Magda Wallscott. Wallscott. Louise Magdalene Teowaina. Szaszy. Mira. 1990-01-01. Interview with Magda Wallscott Items National Library of New Zealand National Library of New Zealand. en. 2020-04-05.
  9. Web site: Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora Māori Women's Welfare League NZHistory, New Zealand history online. nzhistory.govt.nz. 2020-04-05.
  10. Web site: Magda Wallscott. photographer. Reg Graham. 1994–97. otago.ourheritage.ac.nz. 2020-04-05.
  11. 1968. M.W.W.L. Conference at Whangarei. Te Ao Hou. September. 33–35. Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand).
  12. Web site: Otago Museum's "Hākui: Women of Kāi Tahu" Exhibition – Gauge. en-US. 2020-04-05.
  13. Web site: Ngā Ingoa o Aotearoa. ingoa.nz. 2020-04-05.
  14. Web site: Kāi Tahu Sources at the Hocken Collections – PDF Free Download. docplayer.net. 2020-04-05.
  15. Web site: Hocken Heritage Collections. hakena.otago.ac.nz. 2020-04-05.
  16. Web site: Magda was eldest Ngai Tahu. 1999-03-04. The Press 1999 Mar. 4, p. 5. en. 2020-04-05.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Magda Wallscott".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.