Theme 9 'Māori culture'

Māori culture and language are presented as primitive, irrelevant and inadequate for the modern world.  On the other hand, Pākehā will often use non-threatening aspects of Māori culture to mark their own identity as New Zealanders.
 
Cues
Time-wasting, PC, sexist, without Pākehā Māori wouldn’t have…, property values will dip because of Māori language/practices/people/activity.
 
Examples
  •  “Education Minister Trevor Mallard has sparked a race relations row by suggesting Maori culture sometimes cuts across the tradition of equality in schools.” NZPA, September 25, 2004.
  • “Josie Bullock described Department of Corrections Maori ceremonies as ’sexist’”. NZPA, September 25, 2004.
  • “Dannemora property investor Sherrie Jacobs said she was worried that had the area [Howick] been [re]named Te Irirangi, house prices could dip.” New Zealand Herald, September 14, 2010.
Assumptions
  • Some cultures are simply superior.
  • There is a progression in cultures from backward and primitive (tribal) to sophisticated (industrial).
  • Authentic Māori culture is static, as at the time of colonisation.
  • Māori culture and Māori people are either authentic or lost.
  • All Māori are experts about customary Māori culture.
  • Pākehā culture is modern and universal.
  • Pākehā have a right to make judgements about Māori culture irrespective of their knowledge.
  • Māori culture is being imposed on non-Māori.
Effects
  • Justifies Pākehā dominance and ongoing colonisation.
  • Undercuts Treaty rights for Māori taonga.
  • Constructs Māori culture as peripheral or purely ceremonial.
  • Supports ongoing assimilation of Māori.
  • Encourages Māori to believe their culture is inferior.
  • Divides Māori culture into either authentic or fake practices.
  • Makes it more difficult for Māori to validate their own cultural diversity and innovation.
Alternatives
  • Pākehā engagement with Māori culture is a privilege; Māori engagement with Māori culture is a right.
  • Māori culture is expansive and cannot be simply explained in terms of its difference to Pākehā culture.
  • Māori cultural concepts are legitimate and complex e.g. Powhiri embraces the Māori concept of manaakitanga - welcoming and hosting other people - as tangata whenua.
  • Pākehā culture is influenced by Māori culture e.g. kaitiakitanga (guardianship and environmental protection); tangihanga (mourning and funeral processes).
  • All cultures are diverse and fluid and have their own measures of what is valuable.
 
Download all 14 themes in a booklet (landscape A4 pages)