17DS10
Doctoral Thesis
Project commenced:Zak Waipara (Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngati Ruapani, Ngati Kahungnu), Auckland University of Technology
All pūrākau are concerned with how to make sense of our world and ourselves, especially so for indigenous people, because so much has been lost that our stories can be a beacon to find our way home again. “Genuine folklore has been created to teach and to preserve … explanations of the natural, supernatural, and human phenomena ... [reflecting] lifestyle, customs, values, beliefs, ideas, dispositions, humor, and many other aspects of a people.”
Pūrakau Māori are no different in this regard. The stories are codes for living in society, created by that society. Maui’s hook is not just a magic fishhook, but a jawbone, a metaphor for speech. In an oral culture like our own, this metaphor is important. Sound preceded all things in the universe. Our creation story is a chant, and speech is the means by which cultural knowledge is transmitted. Although one aspect of my PhD deals with topical issues around cultural stories, remix, re-telling and appropriation, from a Māori perspective, my primary reasons for pursuing this project are the bilingual creative components. These assert the rightful place of te reo Māori in retelling Maori stories, but also provide English text as a bridge, for those still finding their way toward te reo rangatira.
Storytelling practices are part of how Māori communities communicate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, and this research explores this practice within broader notions of society.
Mō te rangahau ō tenei kaupapa, ka kohi ai au ki ēra tumomo kōrero ō ngā kaumatua kaituhi, hei pataka matauranga mō ngā kaituhi, kairangahau, kaipakiwaituhi, mō te iwi whānui hoki. I believe there would be great value in interviewing our esteemed Māori writers and artists who work in this creative sphere, in order to provide illumination on this predominantly Pākehā focused craft. The specific context pertains to Māori pūrākau and the social implications of story design, from a Māori perspective, but these issues are broader, encompassing all indigenous peoples and the threats of cultural appropriation, and all manner of social and economic issues facing our tamariki in an increasingly globalised world.