E kore au e ngaro he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea.
The translation of this māori proverb is I shall never be lost for I am a seed descended from Rangiātea. How can this māori whakataukī (proverb) guide me on my journey to define my indigenous world? In māoridom, the use of whakataukī or proverbs can make light or understanding of questions, thoughts or life experiences. This whakataukī intends to convey a message of belonging by likening a person to a seed descended from Rangiātea , the physical and spiritual departing point of indigenous ancestors to Aotearoa (New Zealand) (Moorefield)
Like the whakataukī, this essay attempts to make sense of the indigenous world that I inhabit. The seed represents my journey as I follow a life cycle from the potential within that was created from the progenitors before, to the growth of the seed to establish itself. I/we, Māori, are the seeds, absorbing nutrients from our surroundings as we grow rootlets, expanding and dividing, branching out and interacting with the forest surrounds. Weaver (2001) explains that indigenous identity, like the seed, has many facets that are not static but dynamic. Several facets affect the way in which the seed grows and establishes. History, culture and language, knowledge, rights and boundaries are like the soil, nutrients, rootlets, branches and leaves that play essential roles in the growth of the seed and likewise in the identity of my indigenous world.
History matters to a person before they are born. Just like the seed, a person is produced through a culmination of interactions, changes, permutations and versions that occurred before. These elements are a part of ones genes and determine our experiences of being in the world. Even before I am ‘planted’ I have the genetic potential to be as great as those who came before. Hauofa (1994) describes the history of Oceania’s indigenous ancestors. Their world view was as vast as the ocean expanse; it reached out as far as their most talented sea faring navigators could sail. Their histories and oral traditions included sophisticated understandings of stars and constellations and rich oral traditions that included gods and heavens to explain their place in world. Imbued with this rich history, Hau’ofa aimed to inspire future generations to follow in their ancestors’ footsteps. It is on these feats that I stand, I accept these histories and traditions as my own, drawing on them daily to guide, inspire and problem solve.
Just as easily as history can empower, it can also disempower. Colonisation has been the systematic oppression and assimilation of indigenous peoples. Colonial legal systems have enforced laws that disconnect and dispossess. Some of the effects of colonisation on the contemporary indigenous world as Trask (1993) asserts include the exploitation and destruction of the environment, high infant mortality and incarceration rates, land dispossession and economic marginalisation. Leoni et al. (2018) highlight how negative stereotypes have derived from racist and derogatory beliefs that have become internalised and perpetuated through generations. Just as rot can hinder the germination of the seed, these belittling beliefs affect the growth and prosperity of all indigenous people. Although I am accutely aware of the oppresive and derogatory history that has shaped and plagued indigenous peoples through time, I actively work to counter its effects in today’s society and on my whānau. I make the concsious decision to reject its historical effects on me as I move into the future. I choose, like my ancestors before, to draw from our knowledge, culture and language,to guide me foward. Colonisation must not corrupt the next progeny of seeds.
Cultural identity as Hall (1997) presents is reflected in the values, beliefs and worldviews of a community of people. Culture is a distinctive way of life that include practices that have meaning for members of the same group. This includes messages, forms of communication, even objects which are all interpreted in a specific way as broadly understood by members of the same group. This collective way of being is mirrored in the life cycle of our seed, as it adapts its root structure, leaf size, shape, colour and growth height according to the environment it is grown in. In this way, my identity has also been shaped by my environment, and the values, belief systems and worldview of my culture.
Mead (2016) recognises Māori culture as the blueprint by which we define ourselves. This blueprint has developed over generations and guides us in our current lives. One value that has been a strong environmental factor shaping my growth is manaakitanga (hospitality, kindness, generosity). This value, according to Mead (2016), places importance on maintaining connections and relationships with others. Manaakitanga is at the heart of my culture. It was the sunlight that shaped my growth as a child and now as an adult. It runs deep within my root structure. My grandparents and parents like petals on a flower modelled the qualities and features of manaakitanga. This included all manner of deeds from hospitality, running and facilitating community health groups for parents and older adults, to teaching reo Māori for koha (donation), adopting and caring for children to participating in formal ceremonies on marae. This was my culture. I lived with my maternal grandmother as a teenager. She was the matriarchal centre of our whānau (family). If manaakitanga was my sunlight she was my oxygen. She breathed manaakitanga into me as if she knew it would sustain my evolution from seed to plant. Her home was always full of people, an annoyance to me as an uninterested teenager. Nanny, as we lovingly called her, had all sorts of visitors to her home, if they weren’t travelling to a tangihanga (funerals) or land meeting, they were calling in from the local prayer, line dancing or parenting group. Nothing about her home was unwelcoming and the kettle was always ready to boil. Now, as an adult can I fully comprehend where my capacity to ensure people feel valued and listened to was developed. Just as Mead (2016) predicts, nanny is the blueprint of my culture.
Marsden (2003) discusses other important facets to Māori culture or ‘māoritanga’ in God, Man and Universe- a Māori world view. These include concepts such as ihi (a vital force or personal magnetism radiating from a person eliciting awe and respect from an observer), tapu (sacred or holy, altered and protected), mana (spiritual power and authority) and wehi (awe or fear elicited from ihi, tapu and mana).
I witnessed my nanny holding deep understanding of these concepts, like sap in a plant’s veins, not that I was ever conscious of it at the time, perhaps because I was too young or uninterested to care. It is only as I have grown into adulthood that I fully appreciate the gifts of her māoritanga – our culture – and how she encompassed all of these elements to give us sunlight and oxygen. Much like the seed that absorbs nutrients from its environment, creating taproots that run deep, I am committed to creating more rootlets so that our māoritanga continues to grow. I realise that I have within me the genetic potential to realise myself fully as my ancestors may have foreseen; this is my cultural right and my manakitanga to others.
If my history determines my genetic potential and my culture is the environment that nurtures and shapes me, then knowledge represents the nutrients that cultivate my growth. Mead (2016) discusses the concept of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) in depth. He explains that the act of gaining mātauranga as a lifelong process of incorporating all aspects of Māori knowledge including philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, history, language, education and more. Mātauranga is gained, processed and applied daily and has no end. It is continually passed down from generation to generation, whereby each generation adds to the pool of mātauranga as they go.
One distinct aspect of mātauranga Māori that has transformed my everyday being is the indigenous cycle of time and the way in which it is linked to the environment. Tohunga (experts) in maramataka Māori (lunar calendar) and tātai arorangi (Māori astronomy) such as Wiremu Tāwhai and scientist Professor Rangi Mataamua have contributed to contemporary mātauranga Māori in recent years. Their research has greatly revitalised and de-colonised the Māori world view. Tāwhai (2013) tells of his upbringing with his kaumātua (elders) who implemented the phases of the moon into their everyday decisions. The lunar calendar dictated their gardening tasks such as planting, weeding, harvesting and foraging as well as their hunting and fishing endeavours. The moon phases were meticulously linked to karakia (prayer) and spiritual wellbeing. The energy levels and mental mindset of people during the lunar cycle were also observed. Major decisions and wānanga (meetings/discussions) were left for favourable phases of the moon. The return to these practices Matata-Sipu (2018) reports has seen a resurgence amongst Māori today. Recognition of the significance of the constellation of Matariki (Pleaides) to our Māori ancestors is also now accepted today by the mainstream (Matamua (2017) . Astronomy in conjunction with the lunar calendar played a major role in daily activities and decision making in every day life.
The lunar calendar and teachings of constellations have been invaluable to my understanding of the world around me. I draw from matauranga Māori in an attempt to de-colonise my everyday life, including how I organise my work, study and leisure time. In an attempt to de-colonise the learning spaces of my students, I have introduced the maramataka Māori into their lessons and adjusted their learning calendar to align with the rise of Matariki.
Returning to our seed, mātauranga Māori are like the nutrients potassium, phosphorous and magnesium. Any competent gardener will understand that these nutrients are essential to plant growth. However feeding a plant is a delicate balancing act, much like knowledge you can be overwhelmed by too much of one thing or lacking in another. At times in my life I have felt inadequate and imperfect in what I understand about my indigenous world or Māori world, but I understand that this is what growth is; expanding, progressing, evolving and never-ending.
Language then is my photosynthesis. It harnesses the knowledge or nutrients I absorb and converts it into food for growth. Alfred and Corntassel (2005) argue that language is quite literally power. In this way, language is the key to understanding the world from outside of the colonial framework. Indigenous languages allow us to frame our ethics, philosophies and laws in our own right. My current work in the community encompasses these beliefs. Sharing and teaching reo Māori (Māori language) to parents/grandparents who are then able to speak with their children in reo Māori has inextricably linked me to my indigenous world.
The method of teaching that I use is known as Te Ataarangi. Created by Katerina Mataira (1980), this method encourages learning of reo Māori in total immersion. According to Hond (2013), total immersion allows rapid language acquisition and provides activities in context of culture and tikanga (protocol). These activities raise the status of reo Māori amongst whānau (family) by allowing them to gain insight into how reo Māori can be applied in any context and daily activity. Hond (Personal communication 2018) argues that the conscious decision by parents to actively learn reo Māori indicates their awareness that something ‘other’ exists that they wish their children to be a part of. This ‘other’ is the acceptance by parents that the key for their children to understanding their identity as Māori is through their language. Reo Māori is the power that translates the world around me. I recognise that my journey through my indigenous world is not possible without my language. However, I also recognise that inter-generational trauma caused by colonisation continues to hinder Māori from accessing their own language. Growth is not easy and never straight forward.
These are the words of Wanikau (2018, September 18) speaking about famous Māori leader and founder of the Ringatū religion, Te Kooti Rikirangi.
"...these were the very best seeds of Rotoaira beautiful taewa , for three years he tried to grow them in Te Teko and kātahi ka mate te katoa...that’s us! there is nothing wrong with the seed, but if you take us out of our environment and you put us in to something we don’t know , no matter how good the seed, the ones that grow, grow in spite of , they don’t grow because of ...koira tātou we’re that seed."(Wanikau, 2018, September 18)
Wanikau likened Māori to seeds that have been forced to grow in unfamiliar environments. Osorio (2001) explains the ability of indigenous peoples to determine our identity for ourselves has been severely affected by political agenda. Alfred and Corntassel (2005) argue that the measure of indigenous identity is highly politicized and often forced upon indigenous peoples while Weaver (2001) agrees that identity boundaries are intricately connected to policy, agenda and convention created by states, governments or establishments . It seems even when we have established a strong root system, we still encounter challenges to our growth from the forest surrounds. Following Wanikaus’ example, much of my life I have felt like the Kōwhai tree over run by a forest of Pine. I have been forced to define myself according to others’ perceived measures of identification, as a result I am left to speculate how my experiences may have differed if given an opportunity to determine my own identity. My time in education produced the most uncomfortable experiences. Assumptions were made of my intelligence, financial and social status. Decisions were made for me based on the definitions I was forced to identify with such as race, ethnicity and/or tribal affiliation. In hindsight I recognise this was derived from institutional racism.
Alfred and Corntassel (2005) comment that indigenous peoples are forced to co-operate with government/state in order to gain support and inclusion and to be seen to be contributing to the ‘greater good’. These uncomfortable moments still occur in my adulthood. Contemporary colonisation as Alfred and Corntassel (2005) mention still insist on a politico- legal identity. This will never sit well within me. Wanikau (2018, September 18) lamented there is nothing wrong with the seed, the seed is perfect. It will not thrive in an environment that continues to enforce the notion that the seed does not belong, just as a person will never thrive when external influences impose their own agenda in an attempt to marginalise. This above all is the most difficult aspect of my indigenous world to reconcile. In my lifetime I may never be free of imposed measures of identification but like the seeds of Wanikau (2018, September 18) example, I continue to grow in spite of.
Finally Rangiātea. The departing point of the indigenous ancestors to Aotearoa. History has shaped and determined my genetic make-up. I experience my indigenous world knowing I am imbued with the potential of my ancestors. My culture has reinforced the meaning of interconnectedness and maintaining relationships. This has meant I have always sustained my growth in the manaakitanga of others. I accept that it is necessary to incorporate mātauranga Māori into my everyday life. In order to counter the effects of colonisation I must maximise mātauranga by using my indigenous language to realise its potential. In turn I accept that reo Māori will always be a part of my indigenous world. The most difficult aspect to reconcile is the attempt to define myself according to external measures of identification. These forced political and legal agendas are extremely uncomfortable but I am encouraged by the belief that I may continue to grow in spite of others expectations on me.
Here we conclude the essay, unexpectedly back at the beginning. I understand that there are many aspects to my indigenous world that are forever changing, evolving and growing but just as the whakataukī resolves I am comforted in the knowledge that E kore au e ngaro he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea I shall never be lost...
References Alfred, T., & Corntassel, J. (2005). Being Indigenous: Resurgences against Contemporary Colonialism. Government and opposition (London), 40(4), 597-614. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477- 7053.2005.00166.x
Hall, S. (1997). Representation : cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage in association with the Open University.
Hauofa, E. (1994). Our sea of islands. The Contemporary Pacific, 6(1), 147-161.
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Tāwhai, W. (2013). Living by the moon = Te maramataka a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Huia Publishers. Trask, H.-K. (1993). Neo-colonialism and indigenous structures. In From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai’i (pp. 131–143). University of Hawai’i Press.
Wanikau, T. N. (2018, September 18). Te Kooti: Ngā Reo o te Motu - Te Porere. Te Kooti: Voices from the Iwi, Te Papa Tongarewa Mueseum, Wellington, NZ.
Weaver, H. (2001). Indigenous Identity: What Is It, and Who Really Has It? American Indian quarterly, 25(2), 240-255. https://doi.org/10.1353/aiq.2001.0030
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