Described as a scholarly event of high international significance, a 10-volume work entitled Letters received from Oceania 1836-1854 will be launched at Archives New Zealand, Wellington, on April 16.
This work is a body of over 1000 letters written by French missionaries of the Society of Mary (Marists) to their Founder, Fr Jean-Claude Colin in France, from their first-hand experience and observation, as they journeyed and worked in Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
In addition to their experiences in the Polynesian and Melanesian areas of the Pacific where they set up missions, there is substantial contribution from Bishop Pompallier and his companions about their experiences with Maori as they lived and worked among them in New Zealand.
The work is collated and edited by Marist father Charles Girard, and published by the Society of Mary with appreciated support from the French Ambassador.
According to Auckland University Professor of History, Hugh Laracy, historians regard this major publication as an invaluable, unique historical source, which “is truly the greatest contribution made in the broad field of Pacific history since the publication of Beaglehole’s Journals of Captain Cook”.
The French Embassy has given significant financial support to the launch in Wellington, as well as to the day-long Symposium that will be held the following day (April 17) at Victoria University.
Historians, linguists and French scholars from around the Pacific will join the French Ambassador and Embassy personnel, Church leaders and politicians for the launch, which will take place at 5.30 pm on Thursday 16 April at Archives NZ in Mulgrave Street, Wellington.
Letters received from Oceania 1836-1854 is published in French with an anthology, called Memoires d’Eglises which includes water colour illustrations from the period. There is already work being done on translation of all volumes into English. It is expected that the anthology in English will be available later this year.
