Researcher and Teacher

Indigenous Knowledge

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The great passion of indigenous worldviews and cultures is unity with the natural world. We see earth, sea and sky as our parents and believe that all things are born from the earth. And because all things are born from the earth, all things are therefore kin. Life is to be lived consciously within this grand weave of kinship relationships (‘the woven universe’) and our humanity is experienced and understood through kinship relationships with the natural world. Indigeneity is the core wisdom of indigenous cultures and worldview.

The second great theme of indigenous knowledge and experience is encounter (positive and negative) - particularly encounter experienced during the (largely European) colonisation of indigenous, aboriginal and native peoples throughout the world. This theme concerns both the historical experience of colonisation and the ongoing impact of colonisation - and the indigenous response to it - in the world today. Indigenous communities today are naturally concerned with overcoming the negative effects of colonisation (which are many) and understanding power relations in society and the economy.

Indigenous Knowledge Today

It is possible to argue that the two greatest challenges facing humankind today concern relationships between people and the natural world (see climate change, for example) and between peoples themselves (see conflict, security questions, overpopulation, pandemics etc). As globalisation has increased significantly in the last fifty years, these relationships are being tested like never before and we are going through a unique period in human history. We require entirely new ways of thinking about the world.

Relationships of all kinds need addressing and improving. The need for unification with the earth is a wisdom that is being reawakened among indigenous communities and among others peoples too. Indigeneity offers ideas about how our human relationships with the natural world and with each other might be reimagined. It is not suggested that indigeneity provides answers to all our contemporary issues but rather that it provides a radically different and intriguing place to start when attempting to seek an answer.

Similarly the experience of indigenous peoples, particularly with respect to historical colonisation, contemporary racism and structural bias has much to teach us about the nature of human relationships and the kind of society we may wish to build into the future. Indigenous, native and aboriginal peoples have had to contend with a world that has been radically changed and without their participation or consent. This has bequeathed to them many insights about justice, rights, liberty and freedom.

My Journey

My journey into indigenous knowledge in Aotearoa-New Zealand began much like many young Māori - with a search for identity. I wanted to learn about my iwi (tribe) and hapū (subtribe); I wanted to learn about my marae (tribal community centre); I wanted to learn my whakapapa - my genealogy and associated stories and traditions. I later found that I loved researching iwi histories and traditions and so I interviewed elders, ran hui wānanga (learning gatherings), researched our iwi writings and much more. I eventually published a number of books on this theme.

My early interest in iwi histories and traditions was taken to another level when I became convenor of a masterate programme on mātauranga Māori at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa in Ōtaki. This was an important introduction to the formal study of our traditional knowledge. I taught and researched mātauranga Māori and this period culminated in a major research project entitled ‘Te Kaimānga: Towards a New Vision for Mātauranga Māori’ (2004-2009) and a book entitled Te Ngākau: He Wānanga i te Mātauranga (2009).

My interest was deepened further when I began to study indigenous knowledge internationally. I came to see that mātauranga Māori and iwi histories and traditions in Aotearoa-New Zealand are our version of a worldwide ‘wisdom tradition’ called indigenous knowledge and worldview. This understanding began to grow when I visited the United States and Canada in 2001 to study indigenous worldviews. I was fortunate to interview native elders and scholars in those countries. It was an extraordinary and beautiful journey and you can purchase a copy of my report about my 2001 research here.

Research and Teaching

Today, my research and teaching interests concern mātauranga Māori, particularly indigeneity as a potentially useful wisdom for the world today. I have spent a lot of time exploring our traditional knowledge and I continue to do so in the following ways:

• Contract Research Services - where I am contracted by an organisation to conduct research on their behalf.

• Writing Projects (Grants, Sponsorship) - where I have sought support for a project that I personally wish to advance.

• Iwi Histories and Traditions (Voluntary) - where I conduct voluntary research (mostly) for my iwi, hapū and whānau.

Read more about my background here.