Jesus Christ, Once Was a Savage! Selective Memory, Staged Identity, and Stolen Spaces

This chapter interrogates the complex intersection between memory, identity, and place in Aotearoa New Zealand. The author demonstrates how in the early history of colonial missions to Aotearoa the missionaries consistently portrayed themselves as saviours while denigrating Māori as savage heathens. Furthermore, the author demonstrates how this selective memory and staged identity has ongoing repercussions for Māori; Māori identity has been and continues to be positioned in ways that serve and comfort a fragile Pākehā temperament. The author also reflects on the role of churches and theological institutions in facilitating such selective memory and staged identity.