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Maori Pioneer Makereti Papakura Posthumously Honored by Oxford

10/3/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Makereti Papakura, a Maori woman, enrolled at Oxford University in the early 1900s, possibly the first Indigenous woman there.
She died weeks before finishing her thesis in 1930, prompting her family to seek recognition.
Papakura was posthumously awarded the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in anthropology for documenting Te Arawa customs and language.

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Story summary

Makereti Papakura, a Maori woman, enrolled at Oxford University in the early 1900s, possibly the first Indigenous woman there.
She died weeks before finishing her thesis in 1930, prompting her family to seek recognition.
Papakura was posthumously awarded the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in anthropology for documenting Te Arawa customs and language.