Are You Listening? The Voice of Waitaha, A Forgotten People.
Citation
Export citationReese, A. W. (2006). Are You Listening? The Voice of Waitaha, A Forgotten People. (Thesis, Master of Arts (MA)). The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2408
Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2408
Abstract
This thesis is a study of Waitaha, a Bay of Plenty iwi that has been marginalized throughthe loss of most of its land, much of its language, tikanga, and mana. The purpose of thework is to communicate, through the 'voice' and the history of the people, a chronicle, oftheir alienation to a Pākehā audience that remains in large part ignorant and distant fromtheir plight.The thesis is motivated by an academic responsibility to the Treaty of Waitangi and thelack of understanding to the present needs of Māori as evidenced for example, by thesupport for the January 2004 Orewa speech, by the leader of the National Party, DonBrash. It is predicated upon the understanding that this response, which minimalises theimpact of colonization upon Māori, is constructed by many, through a convenience ofdistance. It is motivated also on the understanding that most Pākehā who now inhabit the rohe of Waitaha, are completely ignorant of the identity of tangata whenua. It is hopedthat the presentation of the Waitaha story, will provoke a greater empathy from Pākehā,and thereby facilitate an environment, whereby grievances can be addressed in anenvironment of greater understanding.The thesis is a qualitative based research exercise, carried out in consultation withkaumātua and other Waitaha members, and attempts to acknowledge and integrate current kaupapa Māori epistemologies with traditional Western academic methodology.The study uses interviews, Waitangi Tribunal evidence, and other historical references toconstruct a narrative that conveys something of the 'voice' of Waitaha. Specifically, itoutlines a chronology of Waitaha settlement, followed by a description of their encounterwith Pākehā, the consequent alienation of the majority of their lands by the Crown, andconcludes, with a glimpse into the current circumstance of Manoeka, the papakainga ofWaitaha.
Date
2006Type
Degree Name
Publisher
The University of Waikato
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- Masters Degree Theses [2427]