Podcast

This paper explores several ways that online social networking sites (SNS) are used to advocate for Māori cultural revitalisation: (1) enabling the maintenance of communication with family members, marae, hapu and iwi, thus enhancing whanau ties and relationships; (2) assisting Māori to search for their whakapapa information through finding out more about their genealogical connections, thereby facilitating the expression, articulation and formation of Māori identity; (3) encouraging Māori to return physically to their marae through forming online communities, where members can discuss around whakapapa, events at the marae, regular meetings, etc; (4) creating a space where te reo Māori is normalised and spoken through accessing to te reo Māori speaking online communities, contributing to the revitalisation and reclamation of the language; (5) allowing the access to aspects of kapa haka (e.g. performances, performers, discussion forums, etc), which users feel a sense of pride for their culture and performing arts as well as of their own unique Māori identity; (6) becoming a substitute for physical presence at funerals as whanau utilises it as a means to inform their networks about the passing of a loved one and funeral arrangements; (7) providing the opportunity for those Māori who live afar to make some connections to their marae and haukainga, and therefore also their culture, language and identity; (8) offering indigenous communities with opportunities to realise self-determination as members use it as a vehicle to protest against colonialist oppression and stand in virtual solidarity with these communities. ​

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The downside of using SNS is then mentioned, including: the authenticity of online practices, the threat on being physically presence at the marae, the mining of individual data, privacy and intellectual property issues as well as a risk of online-bullying and harassment. In using SNS, there is also concern about the balance between the benefits to cultural vitality and the potential of losing certain essential elements of Māoridom over time. For this, the author suggests Maori institutions to have discussions and debates around the directions that they want to take for their people, their cultural values and practices, so that informed decisions about virtualising aspects of culture can be made. 

 

Lastly, the author mentions four ways that Government can do to help revitalise Māori culture: (1) enabling iwi Māori to make their own decisions about what is important and deciding how to improve their own situations; (2) discussing policies that have impacts on Māori communities with iwi; (3) making more funding available to iwi; (4) strengthening its relationships and connections with iwi.