Indigenous cultures must decide their own fate

Kia ora. I am a Maori from New Zealand and I have just read the article on whether there are those parts of our culture that we wish to retain for ourselves.

In our culture we have two words that are used to define knowledge – that which is “Tapu” (sacred) and that which is “Noa” (common).

In our culture, the less that common folk know about something, the more sacred it is, the more common the knowledge, the less important it becomes. The question one needs to ask is:

How important is one’s culture to one’s self?

How common do you wish to make those treasures that you hold in high regard?

Who else will protect those customs and practices that have been held in trust for you by your ancestors?

There comes a time in any indigenous culture where it must decide its own fate, and the choice is simple, either retain those customs and values that make you unique in this world or join the faceless multitude.

Taonui-a-Kupe Rickard/Whaingaroa
New Zealand
dart@xtra.co.nz