Aro-Mind

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.

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 ...

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.

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 ...

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 arriv...

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 a...

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 ...