Week 1, Task 1: Project Mātauranga

Notes:

-Maori had concerns about the resource management act and that the decisions around them
and their land would be ignored by local authorities

-The act incorporates the Treaty of Waitangi into its use rights, as it states all dealings
under the act must consider it. Which relates to article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi.
There are concerns that local authorities may misunderstand or ignore the Maori perspective.

-The Maori and Pasifika beliefs often have stark similarities connecting their underlying
values despite being separated for hundreds of years.

-Maori worldview is based on myths and legends that create a framework for the impossible,
probable and tangible, it affects many aspects of the culture.

-Western culture is often based around mechanic and physical scientific understandings-
how and current why but not concerned with ‘ultimate why’.

-The story of Tane was not shared with common people, and reserved for those that held
the power to possess such knowledge, the damage in sharing such knowledge means some
will abuse it.

Questions

I found it interesting as someone raised with a western perspective of “what is known is
what is correct” and never thought about the many ‘myths and legends’ that could contribute
ideas to modern-day science, and that were the basis of the ideas of earth creation.

Why is there such a resist between the ideas of worldview and science, is it simply because
these cultures don’t understand each other? Even in today’s technology connected world
where we seem to have great communication and understanding why is this one methodology
being considered more of the truth? How are the values and stories of the Maori intact after
so many years apart?


Further notes:

From a very early stage astronomy was very important in the well being, farming and culture of Maori. It was their own version of science as they had theories, transferred into stories. The creation of the universe was similar to the western ideas, as the tale of sky father and earth mother which were separated and everything we believe in the earth was created.

“If there was no historical basis there must be a myth”. A Lot of the valuable knowledge of not only the tales of creation but also the stars and astronomy themselves was lost after the colonisation of NZ.

A Lot of the knowledge learned by these people is within the activities of fishing, crops etc themselves. The focus group is analysing manuscripts and talking to those who have knowledge before them to compile into a way to share with the world.

It would be good to see Maori astrologers referenced and credited.

“Knowledge of the environment was necessary to survive” This gave Maori strength and was one of the reasons this knowledge was so widespread.
A lot of the things being uncovered have been hidden away for so long that they are groundbreaking? Came from a history of science, not superstition.
People are more disconnected from the sky/celestial bodies nowadays.
The full moon was a good time to grow crops, each sign or moon phase.
Mainstream science can learn from indigenous science and vise versa.
The importance of Matariki in navigation, resetting the calendar, seasons and crop growing.
In order to keep the knowledge, a story of the rising and setting of specific stars in chronological order could be told, makes it more memorable. Reliance on these stories is very important when at sea for months on end. Someone needs to take the raw information passed down and feed it to future generations, as it is important for the story of a world view, connection and awareness of the universe.