He pēhea te tū taketake ki te ao – Mā te aronga atu ki ngā tāiao e toru. How to be indigenous in a space where indigeneity is not recognised.

Waratah, Taogaga (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi), The University of Auckland

How can we - indigenous peoples, navigate spaces where cultural awareness is not normalised? There is an abundance of literature that recognizes the connected nature of indigeneity and social psychology (Johnathan Friedman, 1994; Geertz, Clifford, 1973; Maaka, Roger C.A. (1994) Walker, Ranginui (1989a) , how people are able to define an indigenous identity (Alan Chadwick 2021; Hilary Weaver 2001, Taylor, D. M., & Kachanoff, F. J, A Wilson 1996) and the influence indigeneity has on identity (Paradies 2006, Jackson, S. J., & Hokowhitu, B. (2002) Forte, M. C. (Ed.). (2013). 

However, there is a lack of portraying the deep issues indigenous peoples are regularly faced with in everyday settings that present tensions of compromise and or co-operate to fit a standard ‘norm’. We can see how these tensions make a significant difference towards society where indigenous people are often seen at the pit of statistics in educational achievement, employment, or the reverse where they are the pinnacle of suicide, incarceration and health issues (Walter & Andersen, 2013). 

Whilst a variety of social issues are identifiable through ethnic disparities, in directly exploring the cornerstones of indigeneity, an understanding of how spaces create confinement of indigeneity is developed. My tuhinga aims to address these issues of identity displacement within spaces that lack a cultural understanding, through showcasing the benefits of indigenous knowledge.

 I will aim my research towards three different environments: University, Whānau and Workplace and how indigenous people are able to apply mātauranga tuku iho in these settings which display a lack of cultural significance.