North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Students share Maori culture in Canada
Eight North Shore teenagers have just returned from a trip of a lifetime, after sharing their Maori culture with people from across the world.
The students from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Raki Paewhenua in Rosedale travelled to Toronto to attend the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education in July.
The conference brings people from indigenous cultures around the world together to share their stories, struggles and successes in education grounded in indigenous practices.
The school was one of two from New Zealand selected to perform at the conference, using the principles of Te Aho Matua - the curriculum kura kaupapa Maori schools use - to share kapa haka, waiata and korero.
The students travelled to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Toronto as part of the three-week trip, learning about local history and customs.
They also imparted some of their own as they went, performing a haka on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Waimarie Tipene, 14, said hearing at the conference that the different cultures had similar experiences of colonisation had given her a sense of solidarity.
‘‘I liked hearing the struggles and tragedy that the other culture’s have had in their country, because it’s similar to us - racism and other stuff, they have it too,’’ she said.
‘‘[W]e can help each other, we can learn off each other.’’
Tirakahurangi Leaf, 16, said attending the conference made her proud to be Maori. It also inspired her to help other indigenous cultures who had experienced a loss of culture.
‘‘I kind of have a responsibility to help other indigenous people as well, to try help them build their own culture, re-learn their languages, their protocols,’’ she said. ‘‘It really just opened my eyes to the world, to see how different things are outside of New Zealand. It just made my world a lot more … bigger.’’
Principal Marama Muir-Tuuta was one of four adults who accompanied the kids on the trip.
‘‘Every day I tell them how fortunate they are, to have their reo and their tikanga and they roll their eyes, but [after going to the conference] I think they actually felt it,’’ Muir-Tuuta said. ‘‘It’s one of the best experiences you can have and I think it’s changed their view, hopefully, about how special they are.’’