Dame Anne Salmond: A Lifetime of Cultural Discovery and Legacy

In celebration of her new book, which compiles some of her most significant works, Dame Anne Salmond honors the individual who has been her primary inspiration.

An Esteemed Career

Renowned anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond is a national treasure who has significantly contributed to Aotearoa New Zealand’s understanding of its cultural history through her writings and lifelong dedication to Māori culture. At 78, Salmond, who was named New Zealander of the Year in 2013, has been reflecting on her pioneering work as an anthropologist, environmentalist, and writer with the release of her new book, Knowledge is a Blessing on Your Mind: Selected Writings, 1980–2020.

This collection spans forty years of Salmond’s key written works about the Māori world, Te Tiriti, and the wider Pacific, embedding her writing with her life, relationships, travels, and friends. The collection includes notable works such as Hui: A Study of Māori Ceremonial Gatherings, Eruera: The Teachings of a Māori Elder, and more recent writings about race and Te Tiriti.

A Joyful Life and a Touch of Sadness

“I’ve led a joyful life. It hasn’t been an angst-ridden journey. It’s been a lot of fun,” she says. “It was wonderful to retrace my journey, going back to the beginning and remembering all of the relationships I’ve had, the people that I’ve known, and the things that I have been involved with.”

The release of her new book comes with a touch of sadness for Salmond. One of her biggest supporters, her husband Jeremy Salmond, one of the country’s leading conservation architects, passed away earlier this year. He encouraged Salmond to write this book but did not live to see its release.

“We were together for 54 years and extremely close. It’s like losing half of yourself. He was a major personality in his own right, a gorgeous man who was very much loved by everyone. It’s been a very tough year,” she solemnly says.

“When you’re with someone for a very long time, and your lives weave together, you become a unit in a very deep way.” Jeremy shared Salmond’s love for history and the environment and often took many photos she used for her work.

A Deep Connection to Māori Culture

Born in Wellington and raised in Gisborne, Salmond is a Pākehā New Zealander who has always had a special bond with Māori and their history. Her connection to telling Māori stories stemmed from her great-grandfather, James McDonald, who was born in 1865 and was a photographer and filmmaker with close friendships with prominent Māori politicians Sir Apirana Ngata and Sir Peter Buck. James filmed, photographed, and used cutting-edge technology of the time to document Māori history because he feared the culture was vanishing.

Salmond shared her great-grandfather’s passion and inherited his notebooks. She embarked on her own journey of discovery, learning to speak Māori after spending a year in the US as an AFS exchange student.

“When I was in the US, I had to do a lot of talks about Aotearoa. That’s when I realized I knew very little about Māori, that I was completely ignorant. When I returned, I was fascinated with the culture and learned te reo Māori,” she says.

Academic Achievements and Activism

Salmond has a close connection to the University of Auckland, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1966 and a Master of Arts in Anthropology in 1968. She later became a highly acclaimed Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Māori Studies. She earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 with her thesis titled Hui – a Study of Māori Ceremonial Gatherings.

Salmond not only became a lecturer in Māori studies but was also involved in some of the major activist activities in the 1970s that impacted Māori, including Bastion Point. She was pregnant when she marched across the Auckland Harbour Bridge during the infamous 1975 land march led by Dame Whina Cooper. Her close friendship and working relationship with kaumatua Eruera and Amiria Stirling helped her build strong connections in the Māori world.

A Legacy of Observation and Documentation

Despite her extensive work, Salmond has never claimed to speak for Māori. Her passion has always been about her willingness to observe and document.

“I don’t claim any type of authority,” she says. “What I share is a journey and sense of wonder and excitement. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been surrounded by elders and kaumatua with a great deal of mana, and I’ve had a korowai wrapped around me to protect and support me.”

These days, at 78, Salmond is still working, focusing her time on environmental projects. As with anthropology and Māori culture and history, she has excelled in writing, research, and practical work in conservation and preservation.

“I work on environmental projects because of my four grandchildren. I want them to have a future and a world to live in.”

This article is made possible by NZ On Air.