Aro-Mind

Te Iti Kahurangi

2011-11-03T16:37:00.000+13:00

Our whakataukī reads:

Whāia e koe te iti kahurangi
Ki te tūohu koe, he maunga teitei
Seek the small jewels
Should you bow your head
Let it be to a lofty mountain

For me, the small jewels are those golden moments of creativity - small, fleeting, precious, fragile. They are the moments of wonder when energy flows... flows freely, unrestrained, free from doubt, free from question. For me they arrive in music - when I discover something in composition or a spontaneous moment arrives in performance and the music takes flight. They arrive too when I am writing and an idea of quality comes forth. Again the idea can be small but precious nonetheless. They arrive too in moments when I share my knowledge, the knowledge I hold. When I speak before an audience or when I teach.

I spend my days in constant search of these moments. Tirelessly I set the conditions for them to arrive and all too often they do not. Faith and discipline is the key. I must maintain discipline myself in my daily routine to privilege this at all times.

Identity

2011-09-30T10:28:00.000+13:00

For a long time, the struggles for identity in our communities have been framed in terms of Māori and Pākehā - who is Māori? What is Māori? Authenticity anxieties have been experienced.

My identity struggle today is not so much about Māori viz a viz Pākehā but rather how do I keep my thought and action in continuous alignment and harmony with my creative centre? Secondly, how do I then use the things I have - knowledge, experiences, relationships, resources - to give expression to this creative centre?

This is the adventure of a lifetime!

Be true to thyself, so the expression goes.

The Challenge facing Iwi Development

2011-04-12T12:16:00.000+12:00

In my view, the challenge facing iwi development is not about money, or resources. The key challenge facing iwi development at this time is meaninglessness. That is, iwi members naturally wish to know how does participation in my iwi bring value and benefits to my life? This problem is compounded when the opportunities for participation in iwi life remain few. For many the only opportunity to participate is at tangihanga. On too many other occasions, iwi members witness poor behavior, bickering and conflict when attending meetings at their marae. Hence, for many iwi members participation in their iwi is meaningless for very little value is offered to them. Of course, there are exceptions to this as some iwi do have positive activities taking place. However, on the whole, this is true for at least part of the time. The question remains - why should I participate in my iwi? What value and benefits can I gain from participating?

Altenatively, there is the committed iwi member who participates and contributes no matter how difficult things become. Sometimes iwi activities can indeed be mana diminishing rather than mana enhancing. Yet that person still returns to the iwi committee meetings, still attends to the tasks that need to be done. Why is that come iwi members never attend iwi activities whereas others remain deeply committed?

We have a task to attend to - and that is to turn around iwi life so that it is positive, enhancing and value creating in the lives of iwi members.

Things are changing!

2011-04-06T19:28:00.000+12:00

Recent events suggest that things are changing and in a deep way. Older ways of thinking and acting are fading and newer possibilities are coming forth. Chief among them are the need to get beyond ethnic and cultural urgencies to a common and universal human question about our relationship with Mother Earth. As distance continues to grow between human consciousness and the natural world so the costs of this distance manifest themselves. The new Indigeneity, the new tangata whenuatanga is about a kinship based relationship with each other and with the natural world. It's about healing the rift between human consciousness and the natural world. It's about enabling the universe to flow through human spirit and mind. Musicians unite! Poets unite! Artists unite! Scientists unite! Creators of all kinds unite!

Whakaahua

2011-03-13T11:36:00.001+13:00

Tēnei kupu o ‘whakaahua’, e hāngai ana ki te putanga o tētahi mana ki te Ao. Hei tauira, tērā ngā whakairo e tū tū nei i ō tātou whare tupuna. Ehara i te mea, he tohu whakamaharatanga noa iho ērā rākau nei, engari, ko ngā tūpuna tonu e whakaahua mai nei, e puta mai nei, e hoki mai nei i ō tātou whare tūpuna.

Kei te whare tapere ka kitea tēnei whakaaro i te whakataukī mō te wahine kua eke nei tōna tū, kua rangatira tāna kawe i ngā kanikani, i ngā haka, i ngā waiata o te whare tapere. Arā tōna whakataukī e mea nei:

Ko Hineruhi koe, nāna i tū te ata hāpara.

Arā, inā ka rangatira te haka a te wahine, ka kiia ko Hineruhi tonu tēnei e whakaahua mai nei i taua wāhine i tū nei ki te haka. Ehara i te mea, kei te āhua rite te wahine nei ki a Hineruhi. Kao. Ko Hineruhi tonu tēnei e whakaahua mai ne i taua wahine haka nei, ā, kua puta tēnei mana ki te Ao.

Research

2011-02-28T09:43:00.001+13:00

Research, conventional, rational research is about explanation. That is to say, rational mind to rational mind communication. What we are looking for, however, is experience, a sense of awakening within, beyond rationality, in the body. We are not seeking detached intellectual engagement that brings no life, but rather full connection between all of our faculties and the world at large. To do this, one has to engage with being, which is beyond mind. This is a deep 'within' which is awoken through encounter with the world. Our first inkling that there is something beyond our minds are the emotions and feelings we have. We can listen to our bodies and they tells us things. However, there is something even beyond feelings and emotions. There is being. In Māori we say 'mana'. Wānanga is about reaching deeper and into mana, activating it, enabling it to flow. Ihi and wehi belong to the mind, to the psyche. Mana and tapu belong to the wairua, the spirit, being. Nohopuku is a process of moving beyond mind (kia whakapaua te hinengaro), the psyche and into mana, pure spirit. The stages are moving beyond mind, beyond emotions, and into the realm of mana. The second stage is to allow mana to flow into mind. A practical process is water, earth, tree and bird. One final note - the most important mana of all, te mana tuturu, is aroha - wholeness expressed in a world of duality. The mana to bind, to connect, to weave.

Who is Indigenous?: World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples

2011-01-15T10:09:00.001+13:00

A second and critical question posed at the first round table of the World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples is 'who is to be regarded as indigenous'? Of course, this is another issue that raised considerable discussion, naturally. In my view, there are two ways to answer this question. The first way, and the one most commonly used, is a definition which arises from a common experience of colonisation (usually by European peoples) and the historical association of an indigenous community with a specific place or places.

Another way of thinking about indigenous cultures alights upon the centrality of the earth mother in their worldviews and their active and conscious connection and connecting with the earth. The unification of an indigenous community with earth, sea and sky is perhaps the defining feature of an indigenous culture, in my view. I find this a more enriched and meaningful way of thinking about indigenous cultures and worldview and indigeneity generally. Indigeneity concerns a kinship based, creative, dynamic and storied participation in natural world environments - the degree to which the natural world 'speaks into' human consciousness. It is on this basis that I argue that indigeneity is deeply necessary in our world today.

Please note: My posts concerning the first round table of the World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples is not an official record of the meeting but rather the posts contain my thoughts and ideas regarding topics raised in our discussions.

The Problem with 'Parliament': World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples

2011-01-14T03:36:00.000+13:00

During 7-10 January I attended the first round table of a proposed 'World Parliament of Indigenous Peoples'. The round table took place at Booshakthi Kendra, the Dalit Ashram, near Tumkur, Karnataka, India. Our hosts were the Dalit people lead by Mrs Jyothi with philosopher husband MC Raj. It was a wonderful privilege to be invited.

Naturally, there was a big question over the use of the word 'parliament'. We are concerned not to adopt concepts from non-indigenous cultures particularly and especially if these concepts arise from and advance colonizing cultures.

In our discussions we alighted upon the following points:

1. There is a 'new wind' blowing in indigenous communities worldwide. We wish to encourage this and believe there is much merit in indigenous peoples continuing to meet regularly.

2. These discussions are preliminary and there is a long way to go to finalise the purpose, design and function of any organization that might emerge.

3. We do not wish the discussion over terminology to inhibit progress. We recognize the problem with the word 'parliament' and will continue to debate this question without halting progress overall.

4. In thinking about the nature of the organization and the terminology that might be utilized, there are a number of 'domains' to consider: the internal domain of each indigenous community, the domain of relationships between indigenous communities and the domain of non-indigenous communities including the United Nations. The philosophy and practice of the organization needs to be meaningful across these domains.

5. Whatever entity does emerge, it needs to make a difference. We have been urged to design an organization that achieves a status somewhat greater than a non-governmental organization (NGO) particularly in the eyes of United Nations.

6. The value of the word 'parliament' is that it is somewhat understood and communicates a seriousness of purpose and a status. There are other merits too. This is why some indigenous communities have used this term including Sami people and Māori in New Zealand.

The problem with the word is the
temptation to make use of procedures, conventions and concepts that ultimately do not belong to indigenous communities and could indeed inhibit the expression of indigenous ways of implementing governance.

Hence the dilemma. This will not be resolved quickly. However, we will continue to discuss this matter without halting progress noting also that we will need to resolve it over the next 2-3 years (?) so that the entity will be established in a timely manner.

Tēnā koutou katoa

PS please note that this post contains my personal views of our discussions and does not represent an official record of our meeting.

'Nga Tai' - the meaning of Tāngaroa

2010-11-05T09:51:00.001+13:00

I found the following fragment in the papers of John White in the Alexander Turnbull Library. It presents a very interesting perspective on the meaning of 'Tāngaroa' (note macron) who is popularly described as 'the god of the sea'. Unfortunately, I did not record the actual location of this item within the John White collection, but it is there. It is written below just as the text appears in the original. I have not marked vowel length. The text explains that the tides ebb and flow because of the actions of an atua called 'Te Parata'. S/he sucks the water of the ocean and hence causes the tides to ebb. S/he opens his/her throat and forces the water to flow, hence, the flowing tides. The name of Tangaroa, or more properly 'Tāngaroa' concerns the length of the breath (te tānga roa o te manawa).

Nga tai
(Nga Puhi)

Te take o nga tai, he mea na Kawiti?, ana na
Te-parata, e momi ana i te wai o te moana,
Koia te taitimu, a ka puhania? mai ano eia
Koia te tai pari

He korero ano a a motu Kawheke? e mea
ana, na Te parata te take o nga tai; ka timu
atu te tai, e ha ana taua atua nei, i taua ha
ki tana Kopu, a ka timu, e whakaha mai ana
ana i taua ha ki a tona Kopu.

Tera atua a Te Parata koia te tino atua
o te moana, a ko Tangaroa te tahi o ana ingoa
he mea i tanga roa ai taua ingoa, he roa
no taua taanga manawa i aia e ha ana i te
ha o tana kopu, e rua ano haanga ona i te
ra i te po, koia ra te take o taua ingoa.

The 'reason' for the tides, according to Kawiti?
is because of Te Parata who sucks the water of the ocean
Hence, the ebbing tide, he opens his throat again
hence, the flowing tides.

Kawheke? also explained
As Te Parata is the reason for the flow of the tides
He draws breath into his belly
when the tides flow, he is forcing breath
out of his belly.

(My draft translation)
Te Parata is the most important 'god' of the ocean
He is also known as Tangaroa.
There is a reason for this name. It relates
to the length of the breath (taanga manawa)
he draws breath twice each day and nighht
This is the meaning of the name.

Life has its own script!

2010-10-13T23:41:00.005+13:00

At precisely the same time as my daughter is giving birth, I'm next door in a waiting room watching on BBC World the rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped for over two months in a collapsed mine deep underground. Slowly, one by one, each miner is brought to the surface through a small vessel winched down through an impossibly narrow tube reaching deep within the earth. Each miner emerges remarkably well, their relief explodes to touch all around them. They are literally reborn, brought back to life by the most miraculous of means. The President of Chile describes the rescue as a miracle and the world watches continuously bearing witness to the long, slow yet wonderful process. Life has its own script. Conscious participants bear witness to its wonder. My daughter gives birth, another miracle, to a bright, bouncy baby boy. No script is required, no need to take control. Just a knowing, a faith in the wondrous energies of nature and how life will always renew itself.

"Dont preach about tino rangatiratanga as you exhale!"

2010-09-18T06:50:00.001+12:00

I heard Hēkia Parata speak recently and she uttered this memorable phrase, "Dont preach about tino rangatiratanga as you exhale!" Yea, I like that. Her theme was tino rangatiratanga at a personal level. You can't preach about independence, sovereignty etc as you yourself remain dependent upon something unnecessary. We need not think about tino rangatiratanga in grand ways, on grand scales. We can just as easily and meaningfully think about it at a personal level. Yes, indeed that's a great place to be thinking about tino rangatiratanga, to be thinking about the ways which we become fragmented inside of ourselves rather than unified, and then how we project this fragmentation outwards and onto the world. Rangatiratanga is about binding, uniftying weaving things together. How are we bringing about wholeness inside of ourselves and expressing that binding wholeness in the day to day detail of our lives?

A Creative Tino Rangatiratanga 2

2010-09-13T22:19:00.001+12:00

I feel that our thinking about tino rangatiratanga has been too dominated by our history of colonisation. (Understandable tho'.) Meaning, we have been dominated by a need to 'talk back', to react and to respond to kāwanatanga, we have found it necessary, and for understandable reasons, to talk about 'survivability' and 'struggle' and so on. But I am absolutely sure that our ancestors did not have this in mind when they signed the Treaty. Why would you sign something that you knew would commit you and your people to hardship, struggle and impoverishment? Rather I think they had in mind the idea of the whole continuum of their history and its momentum and saw that momentum moving forward dynamically into the future. Furthermore, I believe they had views regarding the organisation of the whole country not just one part. I mean just as kāwanatanga now pertains to and affects all who live in Aotearoa, so tino rangatiratanga ought to too. The trick is that tino rangatiratanga must mean and be something fundamentally different to kāwanatanga, and so I believe it is. Here's a quick list - its about mana not power, its regionally based not a centralised power system, its about a maunga, a river, an ancestor, that is, it is about being tangata whenua, the health and prosperity of the people is inextricably linked with the health and prosperity of the land. Our models of collectivising are the schools of fish and the flock of birds. Our model of family is the flaxbush, te pā harakeke. Tino rangatiratanga is about being tangata whenua, hence, at a deeper level it is about the degree to which human consciousness is in alignment, a conduit of the natural world. It is not about the power to project one's will onto the world.

A Creative Tino Rangatiratanga

2010-09-10T19:25:00.000+12:00

I think we need to revolutionise the way we think about tino rangatiratanga. I've come across a lot of people who when they explain what they mean by tino rangatiratanga, it sounds to me like a kāwanatanga run by Māori. I think that if tino rangatiratanga just turns out to mean to another westminster style parliament, a western style legal system, generally a western style top-down, power from above type system but run by Māori, that seems to me to be a waste of time. Rather, I think tino rangatiratanga ought to be something very different representing an opportunity for our nation, not a burden. Fundamentally, tino rangatiratanga, in my view, is a vehicle for a tangata whenua way of doing things, an indigenous worldview. This means a regional based system with power 'rising upward' from the earth, upward through a people rather than power from upon high.

Forgiveness of Self

2010-07-04T17:49:00.000+12:00

This is very interesting. When you forgive someone, the idea is that you release yourself (and them too) from the hurt that has emerged between you. When forgiving yourself, what takes place? Who are the two parties who are in disarray or disagreement? Yourself and yourself. Hence, one part of you has to consider the criteria upon which it judges the other part of you to have done wrong. Kind of like rowing off the shore of oneself and then looking back at the island called yourself. Anyway, one of the things that can happen is that in examining the criteria by which one judges oneself to have done wrong, one can discover that the criteria itself might be wrong, or that what one has done is actually not relevant to the criteria one is holding to. The upshot of this is, one can often discover that what one is holding on to as criteria or an ethic is actually wrong or outmoded. In any case, it needs to be jettisoned in favour of something newer, fresher, real and more in touch.

Hinenui-i-te-pō

2010-06-03T13:54:00.002+12:00

I question the interpretation of 'whakamā' to mean 'shame'. 'Whakamā' literally means 'to cleanse' and we can see that the use of shame as a translation of whakamā represents the use of a moral framework that does not belong to this story, to interpret this story. Instead, I think the theme of cleansing is about Hine seeking to establish her own integrity, identity and position in the world as connected but distinct from Tāne. She is fashioned by Tāne from the earth (Papatuanuku) but in time she makes a journey which is about establishing her own place in the world. If one looks at wisdom traditions throughout the world, one finds the feminine associated with two things - setting the boundaries (guardians of the threshold) and transformation. And so it is with Hine in our traditions. (remembering we are talking about qualities first, not gender.) Hine sits at the threshold between night and day, te kaitiaki o te tatau pounamu. She ushers in new life and receives in death. As it is a fact of life that no one comes to this existence except through the feminine, through the mother, it is not too much to suggest, therefore, that one leaves this life in a similar fashion. Hence, Hine as both 'tītama' and 'nui-i-te-pō'. Of course, this arrangement is manifest in our pōwhiri upon the marae. Hinenui-i-te-pō stands at the threshold, the gateway, on to the marae (the womb of Hinenui-i-te-pō). The guys doing the wero are the fantails at her thighs. Hine also appears near the doorway into the meeting house, now as Hinetītama ushering pōwhiri participants to make the journey into Te Ao Mārama, represented by the whare. The role of the karanga is to 'whakaahua', to bring these qualities into being.

Prosperity

2010-05-18T09:59:00.004+12:00

Prosperity is not just about maintaining income levels. The conventional view is that income at a certain level enables one to live a certain life style. For many New Zealanders life style is not just about the ability to secure a house, a car, clothes but also holidays, experiences with family and our natural environment and more. Prosperity is also about the ability to enjoy enriching experiences and to do so regularly. There is such a thing as the rich man who is poor in life experiences. This is a spiritually and emotionally impoverished person. Prosperity exists also when people enjoy meaningful experiences, share in the warmth of human community, experience wonder at the grandeur and detail of the natural world and the universe. Prosperity exists when people are able to realise their potential, to dream of possibilities for themselves and circumstances exist (including economic circumstances) whereby those possibilities, that potential may be realised. This might be called 'the economy of the spirit', the ability to participate and contribute to meaningful experiences which create 'glow' and empower people along the way. Wealth from this point of view is measured by the degree of generosity one is able to bring to life.

Towards 'Indigenous Development'

2010-05-04T15:03:00.010+12:00

'Indigenous Development' is a field of endeavour that is growing considerably in our world today. It builds upon efforts of the past century or more designed to achieve social justice and cultural revitalisation for 'indigenous peoples' throughout the world. These are peoples who have been colonised, usually, by European populations and exist often as a minority in their own country and in marginalised positions. Significant issues, needs and problems confront these peoples such as health disparities, educational underachievement, imprisonment rates, poverty, and much more. Hence, in the first instance, 'indigenous development' is concerned with overcoming these negative experiences of marginalised 'indigenous peoples'.

A second and equally important theme of 'indigenous development' is the rediscovery and a reawakening of the creative and active heart and being of an indigenous people. As indigenous peoples advance cultural revitalisation - repatriate their languages, their histories, their ways of being in the world to themselves - they rediscover their native creativity based upon their own identity, language, history and culture. Ultimately, this reawakened and conscious creativity brings indigenous people to an experience of their own mana, their own self worth and they become motivated by what they have rather than what they have lost. And what they possess is an inexhaustible creativity.

Finally, 'indigenous development' broadens out and connects with wider notions of indigeneity in the world at large. As indigenous peoples strengthen their own indigeneity and deepen their confidence with it, they come to see opportunities to advance indigeneity at every turn. Fundamentally, indigeneity is about a kinship based, passionate, storied participation in the living universe. As modern technology and lifeways advance, distance is increased between humankind and the natural world and between each other. Indigeneity is about addressing this 'gap' between human consciousness and experience in the natural world by drawing us closer to the living earth, sea and sky which surrounds us. Indigenous Development therefore is about fostering indigeneity in the world at large.

Icons of the Māori world in Popular Culture

2010-04-26T09:46:00.003+12:00

Okay, here is a draft list of the top 'icons' (using the term loosely) of the Māori world, things, cultural items, practices, objects well known in popular culture and consciousness. Here goes:

Haka (for many, haka represents an echo the unleashed, unbridled, uncultured 'primitive energy', its a bit dangerous and those completely unfamiliar with it, love it)
Tangi - funerals
Objects of various kinds - carvings, tiki, meeting houses, waka
Pōwhiri - ritual of encounter, karanga, wero
The Māori language, te reo Māori
Hongi - act of peace, intimacy, mixture of breath
Marae
Moko
Toa - the warrior, prowess
Waka ama - outrigger canoes
Taonga Pūoro - musical instruments

This list is entirely debatable. The idea is to understand what are those things emanating from the Māori world which are known popularly, in general culture. It doesn't mean that people understand them necessarily, just that they exist and have some kind of presence in popular culture.

Work vs the welfare of the group

2010-04-13T19:54:00.003+12:00

Recently, in my theatre work I've begun to notice more clearly those people for whom the 'work' is most important and those for whom the welfare of the group is equally important. When I was younger, at music school, I was fond of the model of the empowered auteur artist, who by some very special ability, the rarefied atmosphere of their spectacular talent, they are able to say what goes. Invariably this meant that the individual became at the least impolite, at worst a bully. And on most occasions their talent didn't warrant this kind of special treatment. Now, I think the welfare of the group (in collaborative artmaking like theatre and music) is as important as the work and that when the group feels unified, cohesive then this tends leads to better work. The unity shines in the work. And a friend of mine said, you can bully people into quality work perhaps only once.

Why do we do what we do?

2010-04-08T19:35:00.005+12:00

So that we may be moved, so that depth may feel revealed to us. We do not create explanations so as to numb ourselves but rather through the experience of creating the explanations and the explanations themselves, we are somehow inspired, taken, awoken, impacted upon, stirred, shaken. The best research questions are those that we are inspired by, have fallen in love with. We can pursue ngā pae o te māramatanga, yes, but we ought to also live and experience, ngā kitenga o te aroha, what love draws us to see, understand, experience.

So what are my research questions, those that I have fallen in love with? They are something to do with love, something like, what is it like to live passionately and creatively, participating in kinship based relationship with the world? How do we overcome a sense of estrangement from life, from the course of life? How do we live passionately, alive, engaged, animated? Gee, much more to be said here.

The Purpose of Whakapapa

2009-03-16T14:54:00.003+13:00

I dont think the real purpose of whakapapa is to explain the world and its phenomena - although it could be used here, and there are good reasons to do so. Ultimately, I think the purpose of whakapapa is to bring us to an experience of the world, to bring us into some kind of accord or relationship with the world. An essential feature of 'indigenous' knowledge is the degree to which the natural world seems to speak into and influence human creativity and activity. Whakapapa, I think, is about bringing us to this experience - of kinship with the world.

Further notes on Whakapapa

2009-03-16T14:24:00.004+13:00

There has been a tendency to see whakapapa as similar to 'history', that is, as a way of explaining the past. It is possible that our ancestors were not so concerned to explain the past but rather to make sense of the presence through whakapapa. As a series of actions, whakapapa (stories, genealogies) is about clothing and adoring the present - so that we come into some kind of relationship with the present world. Whakapapa is a ritual about the world coming into being in our present reality. Hence, past, present and future are fundamental concepts in whakapapa. One way to illustrate this is by thinking about Ranginui (sky father) and Papatuanuku (earth mother). If whakapapa is about the past (like history), then as one went 'backwards' from the individual, through their human ancestors and toward Rangi and Papa, one would go 'backwards' through time (if whakapapa was about the past). However, as Rangi and Papa are ever present - they are right here with us now - then we see that whakapapa is not so much about the past. Similarly Tāne is always with us, Tangaroa and so on.

On this basis, it is possible to see that whakapapa is not so much concerned with the historical origins of phenomena but rather with 'sources' of phenomena. This could be interpreted to mean their 'essential nature or character'. Words like pūtake, take and taketake are about the source or root of something rather than their historical origin.

Finally, in light of this we should think about the word 'ancestor'. There are two problems. The first is that we tend to see 'ancestor' historically, something in the past, something not with us now. Secondly, we tend to see ancestor as pertaining to human ancestors only. The word tupuna does not have these limitations. Tupuna are ever present and include the tupuna of the natural world - trees, winds, water and so on. Hence, when we use term ancestor, we really should mean tupuna, as some might think we are talking about things that are longer with us (among other things).

A Draft Statement on Whakapapa

2009-03-16T14:19:00.007+13:00

Whakapapa is a term used to stand for a fund of stories and related genealogies created and maintained by Maori to explain and understand the world around them. This fund of stories and genealogies relate the origin and nature of phenomenon and the purpose of existence; they provide ethical and moral guidance and serve as the basis of the behaviour of the culture. Whakapapa is a vast pool of information about everything in the experience of the human person - from the macrocosm (the origin of the world, for example) through to the microcosm (the way thought arrives in the mind, for example).

This statement needs some working on. Words like 'origin' need discussion and clarification which will be the topic of subsequent blogs.

Towards a Creative Tino Rangatiratanga

2008-02-08T20:50:00.002+13:00

In a recent paper, I made a call for a ‘creative tino rangatiratanga’, a transformation of tino rangatiratanga from its current traumatised and marginalised state into a confident, positive and distinctive cultural feature of New Zealand of which we can all be proud. Since 19th century conflicts, tino rangatiratanga has been largely constructed and experienced in opposition to Kāwanatanga and the so-called ‘Pākehā’ world. Tino rangatiratanga, as we have customarily come to regard it, was created through colonisation, conflict and marginalisation. Later it became a political tool to communicate protest and disquiet. This is entirely understandable given our history. We can ask the question, however, was tino rangatiratanga envisaged in this way at the time of the signing of the Treaty?

In my view, the Treaty was never designed as an instrument for the alleviation of grievance. Rather its purpose was more forward looking, guaranteeing and entrenching certain rights to those representing ‘tino rangatiratanga’ and establishing new rights for those representing ‘kāwanatanga’. I do not believe that my ancestors, who signed the Treaty upon Kapiti Island and elsewhere, would have signed the Treaty if they truly believed that their rangatiratanga was soon to be seriously compromised. Rather I think they saw the Treaty as a way of entrenching their position as well as introducing some order into relationships with the newly arrived Pākehā of the time.

As we know, they did indeed come into serious conflict and their rangatiratanga was deeply compromised. Hence, tino rangatiratanga became entangled in conflict and became inextricably linked to it. For the future, I hope we can develop a creative tino rangatiratanga, one which all New Zealanders may be proud of. Its features might include:

A concern for all New Zealanders and for New Zealand, a concern for the mana of our nation
A tino rangatiratanga that is not in competition with Kāwanatanga
A tino rangatiratanga that is liberated out of the Māori/Pākehā ethnicity paradigm and instead becomes a taonga for all New Zealanders (as Kāwanatanga is)
A concern overall for the new tangata whenuatanga – a vehicle for the indigenous worldview as this is expressed through mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori, and the heritage generally of the tangata whenua in history.

A copy of this paper can be obtained from www.charles-royal.com

The Treaty of Waitangi

2007-10-01T13:03:00.003+13:00

Here are some notes from a recent paper entitled 'Some Speculations on Māori Identity in the New Zealand of tomorrow'. Available from www.charles-royal.com

In advocating for a new identity 'post-settlement' of historical Treaty of Waitangi claims, it might be helpful to offer some thoughts on the Treaty. In my view, the Treaty was never designed as an instrument for the alleviation of grievance. Rather its purpose was more forward looking, guaranteeing and entrenching certain rights to those representing 'tino rangatiratanga' and establishing new rights for those representing 'kāwanatanga'. I do not believe that my ancestors, who signed the Treaty upon Kapiti Island and elsewhere, would have signed the Treaty if they truly believed that their rangatiratanga was soon to be seriously compromised and undermined. Rather I think they saw the Treaty as a way of entrenching their position as well as introducing some order into relationships with the newly arrived Pākehā of the time.

As we know, they did indeed come into serious conflict and their rangatiratanga was deeply compromised. Once this took place, the Treaty became entrapped in a conflict between Māori and the Crown, Māori and Pākehā, as Māori naturally appealed to the Treaty of Waitangi both to articulate grievances and to seek compensation. This began in the middle of the 19th century and continues today. Hence, it is possible to say that we have been robbed of the potential of the Treaty by our experiences and trauma of 19th and 20th century colonisation.

A second concern relates to what might be called the 'ethnicisation' of the Treaty. On many occasions the partners to the Treaty are referred to as Māori and Pākehā whereas the partners are the British Crown and those iwi and hapū whom we have subsequently grouped and labelled as 'Māori'. But this may not have been and may not be appropriate . For example, it is not too much to suggest that those iwi that were in conflict with my ancestors at the beginning of the 19th century (and remained so in 1840) would be quite unhappy to be lumped into a group called 'Māori', a group which included my ancestors! I think conflicting rangatira of the time signed the Treaty not so much that they felt that they were all 'Māori' but rather they believed that the Treaty recognised their rangatiratanga.

Colonisation and its outcomes entrenched the Māori/Pākehā paradigm into our thinking about the Treaty. Thus ethnicity contests arose rather than encounters between entities which are more 'constitutional' in nature. The people of Ngā Puhi, for example, have been consistent in their view that the Treaty created a relationship between them and the British Crown first, prior to any relationship with the New Zealand Government. This idea is held in numerous other iwi as well. Hence, my preference is to use identities communicating tino rangatiratanga on the one hand and kāwanatanga on the other. I prefer to think about the Treaty as a relationship between tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga as I find these terms more meaningful than Māori and Pākehā.

With respect to moving forward, once again I hope that with the settlement of Treaty of Waitangi claims we can evolve our thinking about the Treaty. Before the settlement of a claim, we regard the Treaty as an instrument for the alleviation of grievance – and this will continue for some time yet. After settlements, however, I hope that we can relate to the Treaty more in the light of its original creative intention. I hope that we can begin to relate to the Treaty as a creative intersection between tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga rather than as a competing and traumatised relationship such as we have been accustomed to. This will entail liberating tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga out of a constricting ethnic and cultural paradigm.

I think we have a long way to go yet to fully realise the potential of the Treaty of Waitangi. As I have suggested, we have been robbed of the potential reality of the Treaty by our colonial history. In thinking about the 'fundamentals' of an Aotearoa-New Zealand of tomorrow, the Treaty will offer guidance and a source for these fundamentals if it is seen in the creative light such as I have described. To move forward and prepare a written constitution for Aotearoa-New Zealand without due recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi would be perilous and inadvisable.

The New Iwi

2007-08-02T12:45:00.002+12:00

Herewith some ideas about the 'new iwi'. Clearly we are living in a time when participation by iwi members in the life and affairs of their iwi is variable. I think one of the key challenges facing iwi is 'meaninglessness'. What does it mean to be Ngāti this and Ngāti that? In my view, the new iwi, the iwi of tomorrow will exist if we can creatively and fundamentally provide meaning and value to people's lives through participating and engaging with their iwi. (Cultural pride, obligation, a sense of duty, these have limited motivating powers.)

Hence, I think we need to fundamentally readdress what it will mean to be an iwi and a member of an iwi in years to come. Here are some thoughts.

An iwi is a community that shares relationships with certain important and specific ancestors who are manifested in specific places (e.g. marae, wāhi tapu etc). This is part of what is meant by 'tangata whenua'.
An iwi is a community who derives identity, culture, heritage and meaningfulness from those specific ancestors and specific places.
In the new iwi, ancestors will not be regarded as mere historical figures but rather more like 'kaupapa' which are manifest in specific places. That is they will be seen as models, principles and sources of ideas (kaupapa) which we will be able to act upon and give expression to in our tikanga, in the things we do.

Hence, the new iwi will need to renew its understanding of who these key ancestors are and where these key places are located and begin to relate to them, to be inspired by them on the basis of their creative potential (the creative possibilities they represent). We need to balance up our sense of duty to maintain these places with a creative ethos and action taking.

Whakaahua-An Approach to Performing

2007-07-31T20:04:00.001+12:00

In theatre traditions throughout the world, one can find a variety of approaches to performing. Perhaps the most well know is the use of mimesis in western theatre. In this approach, it is said that an actor dons the mask of a character and for a time acts out that character. Whilst this is not the only kind of approach in western theatre, this is a key aspect of it. As an approach to performing, Ōrotokare has been exploring the concept of whakaahua, which literally means ‘coming to form’. In traditional Māori performance, it appears that excellent performance is achieved when an audience believes that a performer has been transformed in some way. That is, a performer is not merely like or akin to something but has actually been transformed themselves. Usually this means that a performer has become an atua, or a divine presence. We see this idea reflected in the following expression used for a woman who has achieved excellence in dance: ‘Ko Hineruhi koe, nāna i tū te ata hāpara.’ (You are Hineruhi, the one who brings about the dawn). We note in this expression that the performer is not merely like Hineruhi but is Hineruhi herself manifest in the performer. This process of manifestation is what is referred to in the term whakaahua. In the traditional Māori worldview, the expression of mana in the world is of central importance. Whakaahua in performance is a process of expressing mana through performing. It entails asking of performers to undertake a deep process, seeking resources within and bringing them outward in a performance.

Hineruhi: The Mythical Paragon of Feminine Dance

2007-07-24T08:56:00.002+12:00

Hineruhi is dawnlight - a beautiful, soft, feminine light that shines forth at the beginning of day. She is the dawn maid, the dawnlight that sparkles and dances upon the morning dew. She sparkles, glimmers, radiates. She cleanses and makes things pure. She is playful and light. The Hine energy takes us across thresholds - receiving and transforming. As Hinetītama, she facilities the birth from Te Pō to Te Ao. As, Hinenui-i-te-pō, she facilitates the transition from Te Ao to Te Pō. The Hine energy is concerned with passing through doorways and entering new realms and her song comes in the form of the karanga. Hineruhi receives, transforms and offers. She receives Tāne's gift, nurturing it, transforming it, ready to make offerings to the world. Her lover is Tānerore. She inspires him as he inspires her. We delight to be in Hineruhi's presence. She cleanses us and she awakens our spirits. The Māori word for beauty and one we can associate with Hineruhi is 'pūrotu'.

Tānerore: The Mythical Paragon of Masculine Dance

2007-07-24T08:54:00.002+12:00

Tānerore is a magnificent and handsome masculine energy. He is the son of the sun and Tānerore is a term used for the quivering of light on a very hot day. Tānerore is generally associated with sunlight on clear days. The Tāne energy is assertive in quality. He is concerned to project himself into the world. Tānerore is a particular kind of Tāne energy. He is associated with sunlight, a quality that shines forth into the world, illuminating and warming things. Whilst Tānerore is powerful and magnificent, his dance is not fearful. We are not scared of him. On the contrary, we wish to be in his presence as we wish to bask in the sunshine. He is warming, powerful, illuminating, radiating, shining. Tānerore's lover is Hineruhi. He inspires her, she inspires him. The Māori term for handsome and the word we can associate with Tānerore is 'marutuna'.

2007-07-19T22:21:00.001+12:00

Iwi Icons Project

2006-10-06T12:17:00.001+13:00

Here is some thinking out loud about an idea called 'iwi icon projects'. The purpose of the proposed 'iwi icon' projects is to demonstrate creativity and innovation in mātauranga Māori and involving Māori communities (iwi), to model ways of conducting initiatives of excellence and esteem within iwi communities and to develop activities that are both economically and culturally sustainable (at the same time). The inspiration for the project can be drawn from a number of places. Firstly, the name of an eponymous ancestor might be used, such as Raukawa. The meaning of the name itself might catalyse a new creative activity, such as the creation of a new perfume based upon the raukawa plant.

A second potential source of ideas are taonga of traditional association and obvious association with a particular iwi. For example, Lake Taupō and Tongariro have long been associated with Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Taranaki has long been associated with the iwi of that region. The idea is to find something of deep meaning to a particular iwi, something that goes to the heart of the identity and mana of those people. We can look into these concepts and establish them as a kaupapa for iwi activities and use them to inspire a new creative activity.

A second aspect of the 'iwi icon projects' is the idea that because the proposed initiative is particularly connected to the mana of an iwi, iwi members are requested to offer special assistance and goodwill to the project. They are asked to suspend their normal concerns and instead focus upon ensuring that the success of the project is achieved and esteem and mana is upheld. The traditional whakataukī is "kei mōnēnehu te kura", (Lest the plumes become wet). The recent tangi for Te Arikinui Te Atairangikāhu was a good example of the kind of goodwill envisaged here. During the tangi, our normal day to day concerns and problems with each other were put aside for the benefit, mana and esteem of our recently departed Ariki. The iwi icon projects asks the same thing of our people - to pull together, to resist the temptation of pūhaehae, ngau tuarā and apo, for the benefit of the mana of the initiative connected as it is with the very heart of our iwi.

A further aspect of the iwi icons project is the desire to harmonise economic activities with cultural and social activities. The project asks - is it possible to create an enterprise that is both commercially sustainable and achieves cultural and social goals at the same time? Many distinctive cultural activities, such as the opening of whare nui, contain elements that might be commercially viable. However, this would need to be developed in a way that harmonised with cultural imperatives - concerns will relate to such things as the notion of 'selling our culture', ensuring that benefits are shared appropriately, compromising and/or undermining the integrity of our cultural items through the sale of certain items and more.

One final idea - today, iwi struggle to offer iwi members a coherent set of ideas, values and vision which arise from our iwi backgrounds and which give meaning to our membership in the iwi. This is not to say that there is no meaning at all, or that there has never been meaning. However, it is to suggest that each iwi needs to develop a set of ideas, values and perspectives which say something like, "To be a part of Ngāti... is to have this view of life, to have these values, to have these kinds of experiences and to live life like this..." The iwi icon projects are a potential way of creating the kind of meaning suggested here.

Pūwānanga

2006-05-30T09:50:00.001+12:00

‘Pū’ is an old term for an expert. ‘E ngā pū, e ngā weu…’ is an expression addressing experts in various fields.

A pūkōrero is a master orator, someone who is truly skilful and adept as a public speaker. Kēpa Ehau of Te Arawa is an example of recent times. Although I did not see Kēpa myself, I have heard tapes of him and havestudied some of his whaikōrero.

A pūkōrero is not merely a person who knows a lot of stuff, or who even speaks a lot. In my view, a master orator is one who is skilful in capturing the minds and hearts of the people in front of him/her. They are adept at articulating their points skillfully, clearly and also at reading the mood of the people, holding their attention, drawing their support… etc. (An example of a pūkōrero in another culture is Dr Martin Luther King. See ‘Ihave been to the mountain’ speech)

A pūwānanga is a term for an expert in the activity called wānanga. In my view, wānanga is about trying to understand a question, problem, issue before us. To wānanga a matter is to explore it, to try to come to an understanding of it. Hence, in my view, wānanga is the Māori word which one can most closely associate with the creation of new knowledge. Hence, a pūwānanga is someone who is adept at exploring an issue to find an understanding of it and to make suggestions about what we might do inrelation to the issue.

Henare Tūwhāngai of Ngāti Maniapoto is the modern example. I was lucky enough to see Henare on a small number of occasions at Tūrangawaewae and elsewhere. Henare had great patience, was able to sit through several days of discussion, exploring, thinking, debating in his own mind the matters before him. He would then rise toward the end, summarise the key points made (with great clarity and understanding I might add) and offer ideas aboutwhat we should do concerning the issue placed upon the marae.

Concerning the use of pūwānanga instead of kairangahau, I have never liked the use of the term ‘rangahau’ to mean research and dislike ‘kairangahau’ even more and for these reasons. In Pei Te Hurinui’s rendering of the Tainui creation tradition, the rangahau is a heart that was placed into the spirit of man which created the desire to seek, to explore and to find. Hence, the general association of rangahau with the idea of quest, to seek. (See, ‘Kimihia, rangahaua kei hea koutou ka ngaro nei…’)

Later Pei shows how rangahau is the initiating part of the wānanga process not the end point. Rangahau means ‘to seek, quest, will to find’ and so on,and, hence, does not relate to the actual finding.

The difficulty I have with ‘kairangahau’ is that it reminds me of ‘kaitangata’. Traditionally, the spiritual rangahau itself was located in a physical location such as the human heart, and ‘kairangahau’ conjures the unfortunate image in my mind of the heart being taken out of the body and consumed (as in the mataika tradition). Hence, my aversion to the term‘kairangahau’.

Identity

2006-04-27T13:47:00.002+12:00

Here are some ways of thinking about identity. In compiling a conventional CV, the usual paradigm is to include material which demonstrates a person's ability, skills, talents and experience which enables that person to do the job they have. Hence, the focus is upon skills and experience so that one can feel comfortable that this is the right person for the job. In a sense, one can say that this way of thinking about identity is historically based - based upon their skills and experience expressed in history - but its real purpose is to create confidence in future scenarios. One might say that this identity based upon action, upon what a person is capable of doing.

A second way of thinking about identity, and one which in uplifted in iwi and Māori settings, is the idea of the heritage of the person. Their whakapapa, their genealogies, ancestors and so on flow into a person and provide information about the identity of a person before they actually do anything. This way of thinking about identity is focused upon the intrinsic essence or entity that is the person. This is a way of constructing identity based upon heritage flowing in a lived manner into the living human person.

With respect to Māori in the economy in the past century or so, this discussion is particularly pertinent, in a number of key ways. Firstly, because Māori educational underperformance meant that many Māori did not enjoy the fruits of education, it became difficult to construct meaningful CVs with their emphasis upon qualifications. Many Māori did not gain qualifications and therefore were not in the position to construct meaningful CVs and therefore were not able to gain access to certain positions within organisations of various kinds.

A second key aspect is that as Māori communities became impoverished and did not possess enough wealth to express their culture in the world (other than in the limited circumstances of the marae etc), mātauranga Māori derived activities became limited as well. That is, mātauranga Māori activities - such as building, arts, wānanga and so on - became very limited so that one could not obtain employment in these areas. Consequently, the use of mātauranga Māori became limited to heritage type activities

Composing upon the pōwhiri form

2006-03-29T09:16:00.001+12:00

Could one compose in the pōwhiri form in a similar way to classical compositions such as the sonata, cantata, mass and so on? The pōwhiri represents a form - it is a sequence of events taking place over time. Certain pre-formed events - karanga, wero, whakaeke, tangi, whaikōrero, waiata, hohou rongo - occur every time a pōwhiri takes place. Hence, one could seek composers to 'compose' a pōwhiri in the same way that classical composers composed masses, requiems and so on. Is this possible? What would it entail?

Supervisor and Research Student

2006-02-17T09:54:00.001+13:00

On the whole, I see the relationship between the supervisor and the researcher as an important relationship vital to the growth of both individuals. For the supervisor, research mentorship is a key process by which our ideas are disseminated, are deepened further (through the work of the student) and by which successors to our work might be identified. From my point of view, the goal of the student is not necessarily to gain a qualification (although this is important too), but rather for them to go through the, at times, strenuous experiences to emerge as an independent thinker, a vital and alive presence in the world. As doctoral research, particularly, concerns the creation of new knowledge (something no one else has ever thought of before), this means one has to become independent in their thinking – learning from past masters and teachers, but ultimately coming up with something new that transcends yet is born of all that is already known.

Research and arts education

2005-11-24T20:05:00.001+13:00

I've just finished a note about research and arts education. It's entitled 'Tertiary Arts Education and Research: A note to help artists and arts educators required to conduct research in tertiary education institutions'.

The purpose of this note is to share some ideas with artists and arts educators who are working in tertiary institutions, particularly in the polytechnics and wa-nanga, concerning the matter of research and arts education. It has been my experience to note the general anxiety that exists with respect to research requirements placed upon artists and arts educators teaching in polytechnics and wānanga. For many, research activities amount to having to write lots of essays about things that have little to do with their art activities. This is a mis-understanding and much anxiety can be diminished by achieving an appropriate understanding of research as an activity designed to create new knowledge.

My key idea is that both research and art are fundamentally about the creation of new knowledge and that research in an arts education setting should assist the artist to deepen and broaden their artistic practice, not inhibit it. I provide the following example.

A choreographer is working on a new work. She takes her inspiration from a variety of quarters and gathers knowledge about those things that inspire her. She wishes to delve deeply into the topic which her new work will reflect or be about. She also examines the work of other choreographers who have worked in this area. She examines their dance techniques as well as the processes by which they have gathered knowledge. She watches what they do when, having gathered all the knowledge together about the topic, she analyses, explores and distils out the key ideas she finds in the knowledge. She is 'panning for gold', looking for those key ideas, energies and inspirations within what she has gathered which will spin off into elements of a new work. Slowly fragments, hints and suggestions comes forth, not yet a full work but pieces nonetheless. Slowly these pieces are honed and refined, placed next to one another. A work emerges.

As the piece unfolds in both her mind and in her studio workshops, she has much material in front of her. She has the work itself slowly taking shape. She videos her dancers, watches them intently to see how her mind's eye becomes manifest in the performance.

She also has many materials gathered along the way - CDs of music, videos of events, films of dance works, newspaper clippings, diary notes, posters, letters, manuscripts, food, perfumes, a whole pot-pourri of materials which have shown her depth in her topic, depth in her chosen field of dance and in which elements and ideas have emerged to inspire her new work. Additionally she has her own notebooks containing sketches of things, ideas that have come in the middle of the night, inspirations that have arisen while visiting a place of significance, a performance, meeting people of significance. Epiphanies.

Finally, she has to make sense of this entire activity. She has to reflect upon this process as a whole. How does one choose a topic as an inspiration for a new work? How does one gather knowledge about this topic? How can we learn from studying the work of other choreographers? In the studio, what has worked? What didn't work? How do we know what works and what doesn't? When we are 'panning for gold', what are we looking? This reflection and theorising helps her to understand her practice, her discipline as an artist. Preparing a statement about this reflection and theorising catalyses her to focus directly upon the nature of her practice, her discipline.

Research involves this entire process - the creation of the new artwork, all the supporting materials gathered during the process of creating the artwork and reflecting critically upon the entire process.

Three Types of Mana

2005-11-21T21:45:00.001+13:00

Okay, here is my take on the types of mana. Firstly, I use this phrase from Māori Marsden:

Waiho atu rā ki te ara tawhito i poua ai te ara mai o te mana

Mana Atua, Mana Tupuna, Mana Whenua.

Hence, he mentions three types:

Mana Atua - mana derived from 'beyond'. In the past, this was the 'God' to whom one was dedicated. A person was baptised and dedicated to Maru perhaps, or Tū perhaps, so on. This was a person's final and most deepest commitment. In the Christian tradition, this is what Tāwhiao meant by 'piringa'. Ko Ihowa tōku piringa. Jehovah is my refuge.

Today, I see mana atua as a term for this deep commitment. If one is a Christian it is more than just saying that my mana atua is Jesus Christ. It is about saying that my deepest, most passionate, most serious commitment is with love, compassion and faith.

In other settings, a person may commit to beauty or justice and so on.

Mana Tupuna - mana derived from one's inheritance. We usually see this as mana derived from one's immediate human ancestors, and so it is. Our immediate ancestors, parents and grandparents, impart to us sorts of riches. It is human for children to imitate their parents, elders and key mentors.

However, tupuna not only refer to one's human ancestors but to the inheritance of the entire natural world. As all things descend from earth and sky, in this traditional worldview, all things exist in relationship to one another. All things are whanaunga and are tupuna. Hence, mana tupuna is mana derived from our entire inheritance which include not only our human heritage but the heritage of the entire natural world.

Mana Whenua - this is usually interpreted to be 'authority in the land'. Much like a local council has power and authority in a particular region. But I find this a simplistic and undernourished view of mana whenua.

In my view, mana whenua is the creative principle at play in a person's life. A person has found foundation in the world, they have found a foothold, orientation, a 'place to stand' and as such are able to move with confidence and authority in the world.

Whenua means both land and the placenta. A placenta is seen when a birth takes place and birth (whānau) is the preeminent perspective in traditional Māori thinking concerning creativity, acts of creativity. That is, some one is creative when a birth takes place. Creativity is birth.

Hence, in this model, one has found foundation and confidence to project their view of things into the world, to create. This creativity flows forth from the fundamental foundation and commitment within them (mana atua) together with giving expression to their entire natural inheritance which flows through the person.

The Problem with 'Mana Tangata'

2005-11-21T19:27:00.002+13:00

The key problem Māori Marsden had with the terms mana tangata, mana wahine, mana tāne is that they suggest that humans are the source of mana. However, the key principle is that we are potential vessels of mana never the source. He recognized, however, that quite a number of people have used these terms.

The second difficulty with mana tangata, wahine, tāne etc is that the grammar tells us that these are types of mana do not denote where the mana itself resides or can be found. This follows the convention that the suffix tells us something about the word that comes before. Hence, whare nui tells us that this is a big house, rākau tapu says that it is sacred tree and so on. Hence, mana tangata translates as ‘human mana’, a type of mana but not where it resides or can be found.

Māori’s preference was the expression, ‘te mana o te wahine, tāne, tangata’ etc. By contrast, this is a expression stating clearly where the mana can be found (the vessel) but not the type of mana. It is quite clear that this expression refers to the vessel or place in which the mana can be found not the type of mana.

With respect to types of mana, he only spoke of three and mentioned them in a number of compositions:

Mana Atua

Mana Tupuna

Mana Whenua

These are types of mana that are able to flow into the world in all sorts of combinations, expressions and in a variety of vessels. Hence, te mana o te tangata (wahine, tāne) is a combination of mana atua, mana tupuna, mana whenua.

Also, the traditional expressions for te mana o te wahine were terms like ‘te puhi ariki’ or ‘te tuhi māreikura’, ‘tapairu’ and so on. In traditional literature, the word mana itself seldom appeared and mana was referred to symbolically through many things such as the presence of fire. The story of Māui going to get the fire from Mahuika, for example, is a story about mana.

Talents and Skills and Knowledge

2005-11-10T20:43:00.001+13:00

I've been thinking about skills and talents and knowledge. We have been moving along (for some time now) with the view that knowledge is a thing - something we can pass between one another, exchange, sell etc. New discussions highlight the idea of knowledge as process and particularly as a quality which enable somebody or some people to do something. We could call this the utility function of knowledge. What is valued now is knowledge that enables a person to do something. In education settings, the emphasis is now upon acquiring knowledge which enables a person to do things which will enable them to find employment and generally be useful to an organisation.

All this raises many questions - such as, is the explanatory power of knowledge now subservient to the overall goal of being able to do something? That is, explanations that simply tell us something about a phenomena but offer us little by way of suggesting what we might do about it, are these explanations now devalued? Perhaps they have always been seen as of lesser value to those knowledges which enable us to do something.

To do something in the world is certainly important. However, the three great questions of life - what is this world I am living in, who am I and what am I to do? - contain two which we might say are explanatory in emphasis and the last is enabling to action. However, that would take the first two a little simply in the sense that insights about existence and our identity in turn can be greatly contributory to finding meaningful action.

I guess the question here is, given this emphasis on being able to do things, to what extent can we say that knowledge is in fact separate from skills and talents, that is, from our ability to do things. Let us pretend that there is no such thing as codified knowledge (writing on paper, for example), we can see that what is left is our internal worlds of knowing. How different therefore is this from our skill and talents, those things within us that both motivate and enable to do things?

Top 10 tips for masterate and doctorate research students

2005-08-06T20:19:00.001+12:00

Here's nine. One more to go...

Be clear about why you are doing this study.
Completing a research masterate or doctorate is a big ask. It requires a lot of your time and it will impact upon aspects of your life - family, social and so on. So be clear with yourself about why you are doing it. If you are doing it simply to get some letters after your name, forget it. If you are a Māori student, don't get suckered into the 'chosen one' myth or 'this is what your iwi wants of you'. You are the one doing the study. Do it for reasons that empower you.

Harmonising your study with your personal goals, your aspirations for yourself. Use these research study programmes to help you with your goals. The more you can align your personal goals with the research project, the more satisfying it will be.

Choose a topic you are passionate about!

Choose a topic you really, really enjoy. Your research project is a big mountain to climb. You wont get to the top if you get bored along the way.

Engage a good research supervisor.
Get a good research mentor, someone who is genuinely interested in your topic and interested in you!

Focus your research through posing key questions.

Make sure you figure out your key questions. A good research proposal is more than simply describing a topic or field or issue generally. Good research is focused! And posing critical and key questions helps achieve focus.

Understand that methodology is absolutely and fundamentally important.
Whether you are working in a discipline like physics or a field of study like Māori studies, the way you conduct your research, the methods you employ, the approach you take is fundamentally important.

Understand that research is fundamentally about the creation of new knowledge.

Many students make the mistake that by simply describing what others have written, thought and understood is enough to complete a research project. Research is critically empowering activity for the individual for it finally asks what do you think? What is your solution to the problem at hand? What is your answer to the question you have posed for your research.

The importance of literature reviews.

Literature reviews are about you coming to an understanding the field or discipline in which you are working. More particularly it is about you understanding the latest and best thinking in your field which helps you describe in your own mind the frontier between what is known and what is not known.

Get talking, discussing, thinking, debating!

Don't hide away! At times, it is very good to be on your own to think carefully through an issue or a problem. But at other times, it can be very helpful to share your questions, theories and frustrations with others, even those who have little knowledge or understanding of your field.

Ārai-te-uru: Breaking through

2005-07-17T13:22:00.001+12:00

Here are some of the key themes I have been exploring in the last 2-3 years (in no particular order)

1. The Ūkaipō Moment - the creative, learning moment where depth is revealed, patterns are seen, relationships are understood, a warmth or glow is experienced and an enabling authority is achieved.

2. Eponymous Ancestors as kaupapa - moving our thinking about ancestors (particularly eponymous ancestors of our tribes) from physical progenitors to kaupapa, concepts, foundation and principles pregnant with meaning and creative potential and catalysts for meaningful action. e.g. raukawa as a perfume

3. Moving to indigenous creativity - growing our paradigm for action from social justice only to include creativity. Conceptualising social justice through a view of what is possible rather than through loss alone, compensation for past wrong doing.

4. Fostering the young Māori male - creating the circumstances where the young Māori male does cross important thresholds into adulthood.