Bethany Waugh

Bethany completed her BA majoring in Anthropology and Linguistics, with a minor in Ethnomusicology in 2020. She is passionate about the preservation and revitalisation of indigenous languages, cultures, and performing arts. Her specific interest lies in partnering with the peoples of Austronesia and the Pacific to create and recognise a living heritage that continues to inspire and give life to those who claim it as their own for generations to come. 

Bethany’s summer internship project focused on WWII waiata as one such living legacy. Her project was concerned with contemporary performers of WWII waiata to understand their experiences of the songs, why they perform them, what connections they carry to those who composed them, and why it is important to continue performing and reliving the stories that they tell.