Te aho tapu: Mātauranga a Māui ancient knowledge and preserving culture through practice

Abstract

I am Māui I am not Māori. Reclamation of identity as uri o Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga is the ngako of this creative thesis, in response to the question, ‘who were we before and what is Māuitanga’? Due to its paucity my intention is to revive its frequency in restoration to its rightful status in this way; the tools to navigate authentication is through the lens of mātauranga Māui, embedded in kōrero tawhito, traditional cultural practice, lived experience and whakapapa. Validation is founded in our iwi repositories, pūrākau, ngā waiata, mōteatea, karakia, whaikōrero, rituals of encounter and the arts. Raranga as the creative vehicle affords the means to analogize kaupapa Māui. The creation of a Kākahu/Korowai is the appropriate representation as its significance aligns itself with the mantle of honour due to rangatira living and those who have passed. Exploration of kaupapa Māui infrastructure is fundamental to unravelling multi-faceted cultural narratives. These are the mechanisms to the reclamation of who we were before and to answer the question of Māuitanga. Ultimately to claim and to restore my heritage, to reinstate the common use of an ancient iwi, te iwi ‛Māui’.