Before starting, I must give some insight
into my past, so that you can understand why the book “Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou
Struggle Without End,” by Dr. Ranginui Walker, had a profound influence on my
life.
Kia ora (hello), my name is Jerry Parangi.
I am Maori. I was raised in a Maori family with 3 brothers and 1 sister. We
grew up in a poor coastal village with a small population of about 100 people,
and everyone was related. We were also able to live off the sea and land.
Having so many cousins next door was great! We always played outside using the
trees for climbing and the sea for swimming. It was paradise and this was our
Maori world. A lot of our learning as children came from our parents, but I was
lucky to be raised with my grandparents. This was a very traditional practice
where Maori culture was transmitted from our elders. I was exposed to Maori
language and protocols; however I would soon learn that my Maori world view was
not a universal view.
My parents decided I should attend a
separate elementary school to my cousins, so I was educated in a neighboring
town. Maori were a minority group there, and the dominant culture was “pakeha,”
(a person of predominantly European decent). (A Dictionary of the Maori
Language, H.W.Williams, 1985). There was a huge cultural mismatch at school.
Students sat on desks, and teachers touched our heads. These are considered
culturally insensitive to Maori, and I always felt “out of place.” I remember
my mother told me that they were physically beaten for speaking Maori at
school. Institutionalized racism towards Maori back then and negative portrayal
of Maori in the media, attributed to a stigma/shame for many of us in
identifying as being Maori.
In high school, our Maori cultural group
seemed to be marginalized and “token,” only used on certain occasions. The
Maori group was perceived as “uncool,” by some “Pakeha,” but more surprisingly
many Maori felt the same. These negative perceptions affected our Maori group
membership. It was frustrating that many felt this way, but I was determined to
maintain my culture.
After many years of struggling for Maori to
be more respected in school, I decided to move. In my final year at high
school, I attended a private Maori boarding school, located 400 km away from my
hometown. The school had a strong emphasis on Maori culture and encouraged a
Maori world view. This was one of the most challenging experiences that I had,
but the sacrifice was worth it. I learnt so much about Maori culture and became
a leader within our family.
After graduating from high school, I
studied a Diploma in Teaching at Auckland College of Education and a Bachelor
of Education with a major in Child Psychology, a minor in Social Anthropology
and Maori at Auckland University. It was impressive to meet many proud Maori,
actively engaged there.
At Auckland University, the most profound
influence for me came when attending Dr. Ranginui Walkers’ lectures in my 1st
year of studying Maori. The prescribed text was “Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou”
Struggle Without End, by Dr. Ranginui Walker. A book that talked about
pre-European contact of Maori through to early Maori contact with Europeans, colonization,
implications of the British interventions and the progression of
post-colonialism to the present day.
The title of the book is the based on the
famous proverb by the great chief Rewi Maniapoto, who was fighting against the
New Zealand government troops in 1864, when called upon to surrender uttered
the words, “ka Whawhai tonu matou ake ake ake,” meaning we will fight on
forever. (Manuka Henare. 'Maniapoto, Rewi Manga', from the Dictionary of New
Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated
30-Oct-2012).
“Struggle Without End,” gave me the
knowledge to understand in depth Maori history and culture and the implications
between Maori and Pakeha cultural world views. I gained confidence from the
stories of struggle of our old people and the sacrifices made for future
generations. I was able to process different world views in contrast to Maori.
I found a new strength through this knowledge. I am confident and comfortable
being Maori, and hope to teach as much about my culture while learning about
other cultures too.
References
Manuka Henare (2012) 'Maniapoto, Rewi
Manga', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia
of New Zealand, updated
H.W.Williams (1985) A Dictionary of the
Maori Language, 7th Ed, P.D HASSELBURG, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, WELLINGTON, NEW
ZEALAND
