Kaitiaki Series
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As a people, Māori have always looked to nature for answers to better understand the world around us. Stories and myths that we are told as children tell us our people are shape-shifters. In the modern landscape we still have the capabilities to shift and change the perception of ourselves by ways of speech, clothing, stance and actions.
This can be interpreted as assimilation into the society we have come to know today. For indigenous people this is not always easy as our skin can be darker or we have defining physical features which can be picked out in a crowd, joined with stereotypes, the way we walk, talk or dress can make it harder for us to
conform to unrealistic standards.
People who are fair skinned such as myself, can blend in much easier, as if we were always meant to be there. With a mother who is Maori, and a colonised grandmother; I have always been taught I must speak, dress and act the part of modern society. I will never be able to get anywhere if I am just another statistic from a small underfunded area.
Are you cheeky and cunning like the Kākā (parrot)
Are you vain like the Kereru (wood pigeon)
Are you a watcher who hides in the dark and gathers their knowledge
like the Ruru (owl)
Are you a protector of your community like the Whairepo (stingray)
Are you good at blending into your surroundings like the Wheke (octopus)
Are you strong and courageous like the Mangōpare (hammerhead shark) "
Who do you identify with, what kaitiaki could you be?
This ability to shape-shift is a great power and strength that is used to survive While it might look different from generation to generation - this is something that we as native people get to carry and pass down. Power in identifying with something old, to deal with something new.
Kaitiaki - (noun) trustee, minder, guard, custodian, guardian, caregiver, keeper, steward.