Open AccessThe Boulder and the Bugler: The Battle of Boulcott's Farm in Public Memory
Author(s) -
Ewan Morris
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of new zealand studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.102
0eISSN - 2324-3740
pISSN - 1176-306X
DOI - 10.26686/jnzs.v0i20.3877
Subject(s) - battle , injustice , minor (academic) , resistance (ecology) , poetry , history , project commissioning , colonialism , law , publishing , decisive victory , media studies , sociology , political science , literature , archaeology , art , victory , politics , ecology , biology
The Battle of Boulcott’s Farm, in which a Māori war party attacked the garrison of a British military outpost in the Hutt Valley, took place over several hours on 16 May 1846. Since then, the public memory of this relatively minor incident has been remarkably persistent. The story of the battle has been told in poetry and prose; in print, on stage and on screen; and in memorials and museums. As the story has evolved over time, it has focused on different themes: British military heroism; civic progress; and Māori resistance to colonial injustice.