Let Ma¯ori be the navigators, knowing it’s great to be Ma¯ori

Why is it so hard for nonMa¯ori to accept that they don’t need to police how nga¯ iwi Ma¯ori exercise their tikanga and cultural identity? How often do Ma¯ori, especially our rangatahi (youth) Ma¯ori, see a headline or read an article that slaps them with the condemnation of their cultural identity? The short answer: All the time.

It is my fear that some of them will open a mental space for self-hate, all because some journalists and media outlets ask us to compromise who we are, our tikanga, for the comfort of all Pa¯keha¯.

It is my fear that because of the lack of compassion that has been displayed in journalism over the past week, rangatahi Ma¯ori will pose the question: “Is it okay to be Ma¯ori?”.

Waitangi weekend provoked an embarrassing effort from some nonMa¯ori journalists, and I wondered how much they understood Te Tiriti o Waitangi themselves.

“It’s time to move on with the times,” said a columnist in last week’s Weekend Herald, as she advocated for Judith Collins to speak on Te Tii Marae on Waitangi Day, while apparently forgetting this document explicitly obliges the Crown to protect Ma¯ori interests and taonga — in exchange for Pa¯keha¯ to settle here.

Partnership, participation and protection was the objective for Te Tiriti, but on Pa¯keha¯ terms, it seems.

“Well done,” to Collins for her call for women to speak on the marae, a tauiwi (non-Ma¯ori) said, but when Ma¯ori Marama Davidson said this is a discussion for te ao Ma¯ori to lead, because this is a Ma¯ori topic, they called her “sour”.

I admire the advocacy for women to have equal rights to men as the western world continues to dismantle a stubborn patriarchal system, but let’s get something straight — te ao Ma¯ori is not part of the western world.

Tikanga Ma¯ori is a world where one gender does not disempower nor overpower the other, all roles are crucial and significant to the wellbeing of Ma¯ori. For example, let’s take our Ma¯ori kupu (word) for pronouns “he” and “she” which both translate to “ia”. One and the same.

Pa¯keha¯ women demand to have a right to speak on a marae they visit once a year, but are oblivious to the fact that kauma¯tua/ta¯ne cannot speak without our karanga, an integral part to our po¯whiri process which is not more or less than a whaiko¯rero.

A karanga is the call of a kuia (elderly woman) you will hear as you enter a marae. The karanga carries mana of its own: as wa¯hine represent our whare-tangata (house of birth), they too can call us back home.

I wonder how many people are aware that women in te ao Ma¯ori are deemed sacred for our ability to nurture and give life, and also sacred during the time of our periods.

Now, I would love to see headlines endorsing that, but with tauiwi journalists’ attempts to lead the way on Ma¯ori topics, we’d never know.

So, let’s not act as if this week’s headlines have been a feminist cry for equality when in te ao Ma¯ori wa¯hine are held in high regard. It’s a cry for Pa¯keha¯ only.

As Dr Ella Henry and Melissa Wikaire wrote in The Brown Book, it’s important for Ma¯ori to be the storytellers of kaupapa Ma¯ori, to uplift, endorse, and support the revitalisation of Ma¯ori culture, including our tikanga.

If it’s important for you to speak on a topic or culture you do not identify with, ask yourself why. It is almost the same as asking a marine biologist to teach architecture — why would they?

Let’s create more content where tangata whenua can see themselves and thrive — and let Ma¯ori call the shots on change if it’s needed.

Let nga¯ iwi Ma¯ori be the navigators of tikanga and rangatiratanga as encouraged by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Let nga¯ iwi Ma¯ori decide what to do on their marae, not tauiwi. Let them know it’s great to be Ma¯ori.

Waitangi weekend provoked an embarrassing effort from some non-M¯aori journalists.