Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Māori people of New Zealand
Talking about the history and culture of what happened to the Native Americans and after watching Huey's TED talk, made me start thinking about the rest of the world. Obviously Americans try to forget what has happened in our countries past or are simply not taught it in schools, which is why TED talks like Huey's can leave us feeling guilty and helpless. I got to thinking about the Māori tribe from New Zealand. They were the first Polynesian settlers in New Zealand who's way of life has been overridden and culture suppressed. I studied there in 2011 and the Māori culture actually reminds me of what happened to the Native Americans that once thrived here. There are entire museums dedicated to the culture that is now a minority. They tattooed and painted their faces to distract and scare their enemy away. Now when you see one, they are kind of a spectacle on the streets just like it would be if you saw a Sioux chief walking around with his face all painted white and dressed in his elaborate clothes. Makes me think that if I were intimately knowledgeable of other countries indigenous peoples that most would have a less than happy story of how their cultures and values and overall way of life was casually pushed aside to make room for a new world they would have almost no part in, except in the history books of how they were unjustly treated.
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It is very interesting to realize how this happens in many cultures all over the world not just with the Sioux in the U.S. The last sentence of your post talks about history books and makes me reflect on the number of history classes I have taken throughout my education. Most of the books we used in our classes were based on 'U.S. History' or something of the sort, so of course they never really show the U.S. stripping indigenous groups of their cultures, but it makes me think of all of the situations where they is probably just what happened. I partially wish I could go back to those classes and read and compare the U.S. version of these stories to their victims versions of the stories and see if there are more similar situations to those of the Sioux and the Māori people.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that you studied there and somewhat got to see this experience first hand! It is sad to know that other cultures do get pushed out and we do not even know about it. The U.S. is big enough that we do not need to take over every piece of land. I think it would be awesome to have these different cultures express themselves and to have different lifestyles like this all over the U.S. It is sad that people are no longer to express theirselves in these ways along with others.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad when I read about the types of lives different indigenous people have been forced into because the dominant society is not willing to coexist when them peacefully. It really is the the story of the way the world works and has worked for millennia which is disheartening. Because these indigenous societies are often times very small and sequestered into some obscure part of the country in which they reside, it's very easy for us to forget the injustices that they have endured which is something we should never do.
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