Identity
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
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
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