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patupaiarehe I was linked to an interesting article today about the display at Te Papa of some Maori taonga, due to open next month some time. This is the article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4221890/Pregnant-women-warned-off-Te-Papa-tour#comments
The gist of it is that Te Papa is requesting pregnant or menstruating women not to come on the tour of these taonga. Women who are pregnant or have their period are tapu, as are the taonga on display, and (in my admittedly limited knowledge of tikanga) two tapu things shouldn't go up against each other for their safety, basically*.
I thought the overriding bias in the article. All but one of the people interviewed, as far as I can tell, are Pakeha and don't have much of an idea about tikanga Maori or why this is an issue. The only person to support Te Papa's decision said that they did so because of their knowledge of Maori culture, and not a single self-identified Maori person was asked, let alone someone like a kuia, whose opinion would not only be interesting but actually relevant because they actually know what they're talking about.
This was the comment I left at the discussion where I found it:
*This is an INCREDIBLY simplified explanation, ignoring a considerable number of other factors at play and based on my limited knowledge. If it is wrong, please tell me so I can put it right.
I think that Te Papa's made a good call here. It isn't a ban, it's a request. Given that it's generally accepted that women wear a headscarf to go to a mosque or not singlets to go visit the Vatican, I don't see why this would be so different. Yes, it is enforcing a standard on women that men don't have to adhere to, but it's also a culture that's not my own, so if I don't like it, I have the choice to not participate aka stay away.
More than that, I think the fact that people are kicking up a fuss about Maori 'oppressing' women is deeply suspect. Maori were the original people of New Zealand, they were given a raw deal during English colonisation, and for years their culture was ignored and disrespected. It's only recently that white New Zealand has begun to recognise the value of Maori culture and tradition, and to trample over this culture just because it doesn't agree with a Western woman's idea of feminism is really offensive to Maori as a people.
Tapu is some serious shit, and has a LOT of significance. I can understand that it might cause inconvenience for women who wouldn't be able to see the exhibit otherwise, but I still think that Te Papa's well within their rights to request this, and that it'd be pretty damn entitled to ignore it and go anyway.
*This is an INCREDIBLY simplified explanation, ignoring a considerable number of other factors at play and based on my limited knowledge. If it is wrong, please tell me so I can put it right.
What's everyone else's thoughts on this?
The gist of it is that Te Papa is requesting pregnant or menstruating women not to come on the tour of these taonga. Women who are pregnant or have their period are tapu, as are the taonga on display, and (in my admittedly limited knowledge of tikanga) two tapu things shouldn't go up against each other for their safety, basically*.
I thought the overriding bias in the article. All but one of the people interviewed, as far as I can tell, are Pakeha and don't have much of an idea about tikanga Maori or why this is an issue. The only person to support Te Papa's decision said that they did so because of their knowledge of Maori culture, and not a single self-identified Maori person was asked, let alone someone like a kuia, whose opinion would not only be interesting but actually relevant because they actually know what they're talking about.
This was the comment I left at the discussion where I found it:
*This is an INCREDIBLY simplified explanation, ignoring a considerable number of other factors at play and based on my limited knowledge. If it is wrong, please tell me so I can put it right.
I think that Te Papa's made a good call here. It isn't a ban, it's a request. Given that it's generally accepted that women wear a headscarf to go to a mosque or not singlets to go visit the Vatican, I don't see why this would be so different. Yes, it is enforcing a standard on women that men don't have to adhere to, but it's also a culture that's not my own, so if I don't like it, I have the choice to not participate aka stay away.
More than that, I think the fact that people are kicking up a fuss about Maori 'oppressing' women is deeply suspect. Maori were the original people of New Zealand, they were given a raw deal during English colonisation, and for years their culture was ignored and disrespected. It's only recently that white New Zealand has begun to recognise the value of Maori culture and tradition, and to trample over this culture just because it doesn't agree with a Western woman's idea of feminism is really offensive to Maori as a people.
Tapu is some serious shit, and has a LOT of significance. I can understand that it might cause inconvenience for women who wouldn't be able to see the exhibit otherwise, but I still think that Te Papa's well within their rights to request this, and that it'd be pretty damn entitled to ignore it and go anyway.
*This is an INCREDIBLY simplified explanation, ignoring a considerable number of other factors at play and based on my limited knowledge. If it is wrong, please tell me so I can put it right.
What's everyone else's thoughts on this?
no subject
Date: 2010-10-12 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-12 08:49 pm (UTC)tapu = sacred
wairua = spirit
taonga = treasure, an object of deep spiritual importance
tikanga = custom
kuia = elder (of a Maori tribe)
iwi = tribe
Maori = the indigenous people of New Zealand
Pakeha = non-Maori, generally used to refer to white people
The history between the Maori and the British colonisers is pretty bitter, and resulted in the Maori getting ripped off blind. Over the recent years, our government's been making more of an effort to honour the Treaty they signed with the Maori in 1840, which was supposed to give Maori a say in how New Zealand was run but was effectively ignored. More info on the Treaty, if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_waitangi
Explaining why tapu is such a big deal is more difficult, given that I'm not Maori myself and simply don't have extensive education on the subject. But the idea is that women are tapu - more sacred or holy than normal - when pregnant or menstruating. The taonga (treasures) on display at this museum, loaned by various tribes, are also tapu, and are believed to contain spirits within them. In Maori culture, women cannot handle taonga while tapu, because the meeting of two tapu beings could endanger either the women or the spirits inside the taonga. Some more info about taonga: http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/maori-culture/maori-culture_tapu-sacred-maori-code_feature.cfm
Te Papa is our national museum, and supposed to represent both Maori and Pakeha cultures. This one is obviously showcasing Maori culture, and given that the taonga on display are still important to some groups of Maori, they've asked that some basic protocol be followed for even the Pakeha who go to see them.
I hope this makes a bit more sense now. I don't really know what does and doesn't need explaining, but I think I got all the obvious bits. If you've got any other questions, feel free to ask away.