M?ori cultural specialist to give two public lectures

M?ori cultural specialist to give two public lecturesOctober 17, 2007Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Claudia Orange, a specialist on M?ori history and politics and director of history and Pacific cultures at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, will offer two free public lectures at Syracuse University on Thursday, Oct. 25, and Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Orange will deliver the Peter S. Graham Lecture on “The Memory of a Nation” on Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. in the Peter S. Graham Scholarly Commons, located on the first floor of E.S. Bird Library. The lecture is co-sponsored by The College of Arts and Sciences and the SU Library.

She will speak on “Under a Show of Justice” on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium, located in the Shaffer Art Building, as part of the 2007 Syracuse Symposium, presented by The College of Arts and Sciences. The event is co-sponsored by the SU Library. Parking is available in the Booth Garage for $3.50 (garage closes at 10 p.m.).

In the Graham lecture, Orange will speak on how exploring the past might help the public to better understand the future and how the work of historians might play a part in influencing the memory of a nation and shaping its future.

In September 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark declaration on the rights of indigenous people by an overwhelming majority. Four votes were cast against the declaration — by the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, each with an experience of migration from Great Britain and Europe that overwhelmed the older, well-established indigenous cultures. In her symposium lecture, Orange will trace the experience in New Zealand and explore the historical context that has determined New Zealand’s present stance.

A recognized authority on New Zealand history, Orange is a member of the New Zealand national museum’s leadership team and heads the museum’s research, curatorial and collection management functions in history and Pacific cultures. At the museum, she is engaged in research and a range of activities across a broad spectrum of New Zealand history. She has been involved in two of the museum’s exhibitions opening this year — “The Scots in New Zealand” and “Tangata o le Moana: The Story of Pacific People in New Zealand” — and is currently working on a major 20th-century history exhibition due to open in 2009. She was previously general editor of the multi-volume “Dictionary of New Zealand Biography” (1990-2003) and served as the country’s acting chief historian at the Department of Internal Affairs from 1997-2000.

Orange’s personal research interests are indigenous rights issues, in particular the relationships between the government of New Zealand and the M?ori. She received the University of Auckland’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. Her most recent major publication, “An Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi” (Bridget Williams Books), was published in 2002.

The Peter S. Graham Lecture honors the memory of Graham, University librarian from 1998-2003 who held a courtesy appointment in the Department of English from 2000-03. Graham died in 2004 after a battle with cancer. Graham had an interest in New Zealand, and some of the country’s seminal publications were introduced into the SU Library during his tenure.

The Syracuse Symposium, presented by The College of Arts and Sciences, is a semester-long intellectual and artistic festival that celebrates interdisciplinary thinking, imagination and creation. This year’s theme is “Justice.” For more information on symposium events, visit http://symposium.syr.edu.