Shades of Whakapapa
Written by Kata Roberts According to my AncestryDNA results, I’m made up of 63% European and 37% Māori heritage, which basically means I’m a walking Treaty negotiation. I’m proud of both sides, but it’s the Māori side I’ve always felt more connected to. That’s why it stings when I don’t always feel like I belong, […]
Head? Is it tapu?
Part 1: Ripeka Paapu The notion that receiving or giving oral sex while wearing moko kanohi is tapu reflects a modern discomfort, not the lived realities of our tipuna. To understand moko is to understand that it has always been part of the totality of our humanity, not a restriction on it. Our tipuna were […]
And That’s On Period.
By Nova Te Hapua Mauri ora e hoa mā! My names Nova, I’m a Kaupapa Māori researcher in all things īkura,menstruation. Okay, before you freak out and turn the page thinking I’m one of those witchy woo woo paint with your period blood girls, which kei a koe if that’s you sis, hear me out […]
What They Don’t Tell You About Reo Revitalisation
By Emere Paku It is no secret that the mamae of losing our reo and culture at the hands of colonisation is an intergenerational heavy load of baggage to carry, and no matter how much we do to try and unload its contents, it weighs just as heavy as before. The biggest secret I discovered […]
Moemoeā Māori – He Ruri
James Milroy Whakarongo mai rāKoutou e hine, e tama māKi ngā reo e hāpai neiI ngā mahi a Hiwa-i-te-rangi Ua kōnehuTū mai rā MatarikiHiwa, HiwaHiwa-i-te-rangi Tīaho iho mai rāNgā whetū o te pōHai ārahi i ngā mahiMō te maruāpō Rōiho kamaRōake parahutihutiE moe, e moeE moe ō kanohi Ko te whakamaumaharaKo te hotu o tōku […]
Letters from the Future
From Nanny. (Te Atamihi Papa) Kia ora raa kei aku mokopuna, Today, I walked through your Marae, Poohara and thought of you. I want to tell you what I saw, what I felt and what I remembered so you will always know how much your tuupuna gave to this place, and how their aroha still […]
Reindigenising & Decolonising
Written By Manasseh Cowley We had just finished presenting at one of Bogotá’s most prestigious universities and it was now time for whakawhanaungatanga and kai. Seated to my left was a professor of law. Although not Indigenous herself, she shared her hopes for a future that saw the integration of Colombia’s Indigenous legal systems and […]
Te Tiriti For Dummies (ew david)
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not some ancient, dusty relic. Hell, it’s barely 185 years old – younger than the first working camera! It is the foundation document of Niu Tīreni, intended to set up a relationship between Māori and the Crown built on the three P’s: partnership, participation, and protection. But as we know, […]
When Uni RegulationsClash With Tikanga,Who Wins?
Written By Naianga Tapiata If you’ve ever been to any uni, you’ll know the vibe, there’s ALWAYS a policy for everything. Missed an exam? There’s a form. Late assignment, that’ll be 10% off. Now imagine that you are a Māori student and your world doesn’t just run on timetables and penalty systems, but on tikanga. […]
Nā te ētita
by Brianna Waka E ngā hau e whā o te ao, nō mai tata, nō mai tawhiti, tae noa mai ki tēnei pito o Nukutawhiti, tēnā koutou, take a photo, tēnā koutou katoa. Mauri ora you magic people sitting with these kupu now. We’re sliding headfirst into the busiest, most kaupapa packed time of our […]