this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2024
19 points (95.2% liked)

Aotearoa / New Zealand

1651 readers
13 users here now

Kia ora and welcome to !newzealand, a place to share and discuss anything about Aotearoa in general

Rules:

FAQ ~ NZ Community List ~ Join Matrix chatroom

 

Banner image by Bernard Spragg

Got an idea for next month's banner?

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]
[email protected]
19
Question about Maori icons (lemmy.ca)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
6 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hey all.

Canadian here. A number of years ago my family visited New Zealand, and while falling in love with the country and the culture, I also discovered the Hei Matau - the Maori fish hook.

This has haunted me ever since, and I want to carve one for myself. However, we've spent the last decade starting to understand the relationship between European settlers and the North American Indigenous people.

So what I do in my basement with carving tools is my own business, but I ask honestly if wearing a Hei Matau in public is considered respectful or appropriation. And also if the material matters in this context. (It would likely be from a tagua nut - "vegetable ivory" - although it's possible I could get some whale bone from my coastal friends.)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

It would probably be considered as appropriation by Māori, but I'm reluctant to (can't) speak authoritativly for Māori on this. I think that public display (by wearing) would be the line not to cross with out permission/blessing.

Māori experienced similar colonial problems as experienced by the indigenous north Americans.

Having said that, often one only needs to ask permission (per se).

If you do a search for "New Zealand iwi" you'll find contact details for different Māori iwi (tribes). I recommend finding one that's local to the area you've visited and just ask if they're OK with you reproducing their art and wearing it as it has considerable meaning to you too, and you want to respect their tīkanga (customs).

Edit: it's very cool that you even asked!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Thanks for the info. I'll do some digging.

Edit: it’s very cool that you even asked!

If we've learned anything in Canada in the last 15 years, it's that finding out about a culture before adopting it is kind of important.