What does it mean to be a New Zealander?
It is a difficult concept to grasp that New Zealand culture
is a combination of both Maori culture and ‘Kiwi’ culture. I think it comes
down to how much of each culture we actually see and experience in our lives.
I have grown up in suburbia for most of my life and I can
safely say that the majority of Maori culture that I have encountered has been
through society’s education facilities. Even with the few Maori friends I have,
we don’t really discuss a difference of culture or beliefs.
By contrast ‘Kiwi’ culture is something I engage with
frequently and as such I have a far better understanding of it. The other thing
to consider is the fact that there is a lot of overlapping in each culture.
Just because watching the rugby game with boys and some beers is a part of one
culture, doesn’t mean it isn’t a part of the other culture. If anything, the
term culture is too ambiguous for broad concepts of human nature.
The other key point is the importance in having an
understanding of ‘Kiwi’ culture as it helps identify how to deal with others
that also engage in ‘Kiwi’ culture. In this way it is knowledge that can be used
to further ones situation. Having an understanding of Maori culture would be
more important and perhaps more acknowledged if there was a greater requirement
for it in day to day life. One example of this is the rural areas where it
probably does have a greater use and importance.
Hi Sam,
ReplyDeleteA lot of the, wait... I think ALL of the Maori Culture I experience was in educational facilities such as in primary and in high school.
For me, a dear memory I cherished was being in my primary schools Kapa Haka group. I was one of two white boys in a predominantly Maori and Pasific Island primary school. I have a wonderful memory as a 6-7 year old singing "Oranga Ea, E Karanga E Ti Iwi E," during practice and infront of the school.
We all had a blast. I loved singing that song next to my peers, and I remember feeling proud because it was about welcoming visitors to my school.
I look back and feel a wonderful feleing of belongingness, nostalgia and individuality - something I would not have felt Singing "Singin' in the Rain," at assemblies and school events. From a childs mind, I felt a sense of importance, because I got to participate in front of an audience, as well as singign in a different language that was not my own.
I think that feeling of being included, feeling proud next to my peers, and appreciating the language, the beauty of the song and what it meant is park of being a Pakeha.
I was a Pakeha at primary school, and I wish dearly to go back to that memory of singing that song. I wish I could feel like I did back then as a child - not sure what happened.
I agree - we need to have a better understanding and concern for what it means to be a Pakeha and a Kiwi.
I had a similar experience. Most of the little Māori language I know I learnt at primary or intermediate school. I think most kids educated in NZ will have fond memories of singing A Haka Mana (The Māori Alphabet) and AEIOU and I think that education definitely had an impact on what it means to be a Kiwi, or at least have had a Kiwi childhood. I remember playing with poi and playing stick games more than any other part of my early education. I think this is a good place to merge the cultures of some Māori and Pakeha. It sets us up for biculturalism (even though we haven't achieved it). There's definitely a grey area with what exactly Kiwi culture is and I'm not sure it can be independent of Māori or European culture. I'm not sure if we eve need to define Kiwi culture so much as embrace cultures in NZ.
ReplyDelete