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One morning, my friend and I got on a bus and saw a bus driver with
moko on his face then we all said “Mōrena!” to him and went to sit
down. When we got off the bus saying “Kia ora!”, he replied emotionally
“You made my heart sing!”. I realised not many passengers speaking
with him in his mother tongue and it would probably be the case for
most Māori people in their daily life. Having that personal experience
and now going through the Tiriti-based Early Childhood Education
course has given me a great deal of motivation and inspiration to
respectfully apply tikanga Māori in my daily teaching practices. In this
essay, I will share what I have learned and understood about Te Tiriti o
Waitangi and Māori cultural knowledge, values and practices, along
with two practices embracing tikanga Māori that can be successfully
carried out in early childhood centres.
According to Orange (2012), Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a settlement that
was signed by many Māori chiefs and the Queen’s agents in Waitangi
and then across New Zealand in 1840. In order to honour the Treaty, 6
February was chosen to be Waitangi Day celebrating the important
mark of New Zealand’s history. There were two official versions, one in
te reo Māori which was signed by Māori and one in English which was
signed by Crown representatives, and both had three articles. In Article
One, Māori chiefs gave “the queen ‘te Kawanatanga katoa’ which
means the governance or government over the land”. In Article Two,
the Tiriti gave “the chiefs ‘te tino rangatiratanga’ – the exercise of
chieftainship – over their lands, villages and ‘taonga katoa’ – all
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treasured things”. In Article Three, “the Crown gave an assurance that
Māori would have the queen’s protection and all rights – ‘tikanga’ –
accorded British subjects” (Orange, 2012, Interpretations of Te Tiriti o
Waitangi section). The Tiriti’s three principles are: “partnership – the
sharing of power and decision making, protection – the exercise of
chieftainship and autonomy, and participation – equity of access and
participation” (Office of Māori Development, n.d., p.13), and these are
the suggestions to be applied to citizenship of every human being living
in New Zealand (Warren, Forster and Tawhai, 2017).
In order to be able to “work in culturally responsive ways” with Māori
children, we need to have a good understanding of te ao Māori which
means the Māori world view, according to Glasglow and Rameka
(2017,
p.87).
Te
Ao
Māori
realises
and
appreciates
“the
interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and non-living
things via spiritual, cognitive, and physical lenses” (Taiuru, 2020, p.13).
They believe human beings are not superior but a part of the whole
world, all related to nature and to each other. Tikanga Māori is how and
why Māori people live their lives including “actions, habits, appearance
and customs” (Rameka, 2016, p.389). Mead (2016) stated that tikanga
need to be executed in an appropriate way as the base word ‘tika’
means ‘right’ or ‘correct’.
There is a Māori tradition in which when a person is born, their mother’s
umbilical cord will be buried in the land and when that person passes
away, their body will also be buried in the land. Māori people, therefore,
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are viewed not just as people living on the land, but as the land
themselves, according to Rameka (2016). The deep connection with
the land is also conveyed through the Māori creation myth that human
beings are children of Rangi the Sky Father and Papatūānuku the Earth
Mother (Reed, 2011). Papatūānuku is the foundation for Māori
whakapapa, which not only tell about personal identity but also put a
person in a big picture connecting with whānau, hapū and iwi that have
the same genealogy (Rameka, 2016). Based on whakapapa, people
use pepeha to introduce themselves to let others know their own
stories, their bonds to people, places and events, to the environment
and spirituality (Rameka, 2016). This has critical meaning to the
establishment of a sense of identity as well as a sense of belonging in
Māori children and adults.
Te reo Māori is the native language of Māori people and one of the
three official languages of New Zealand. Best (1923) stated that te reo
Māori “holds a spiritual value for Māori people as taonga mai ngā atua
(treasure from the gods)” (as cited in Thomas, Rokx and Keelan, 2017,
p.63) because language is the tool that makes it possible for the
traditions to be maintained throughout history and therefore must be
“advocated for in homes, communities, and in all educational settings”
(Thomas, Rokx and Keelan, 2017, p.63). Pūrākau, which means Māori
narratives, myths and legends, is a way of maintaining ancient
knowledge, moral and historical messages and values from the past
and passing them down to the next generations (Lee, 2009 and
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Rameka, 2011, as cited in Rameka, 2016). Thomas, Rokx and Keelan
(2017) shared that waiata (songs) have been a strong supporter for the
survival of te reo Māori and continue to be a useful tool to share the
language and knowledge. And karakia are “the chants of Māori ritual,
utilising traditional language, constructs and symbols” that help us in
communicating with the spiritual realms as well as living a harmonious
daily life (Rameka, 2016, p.390).
Due to the colonisation and urbanisation, many Māori people have
been forced away from their land and their tribes resulting in them
struggling not only to maintain a strong sense of connection to their
tribal roots but also to be able to adapt comfortably to the Pākehā
society, according to Durie (1998), Maaka and Fleras (2005) and
Raerino (2007) (as cited in Rameka, 2017). Therefore, early childhood
teachers play a crucial part in helping to maintain the sense of identity
and belonging for young Māori children. In order to do this, the key is to
“knowing the child” which is not limited to knowing him or her
individually but also “knowing the child as Māori, communally,
historically and culturally” (Berryman, 2008; Cheung, 2008; Pere, 1991;
Rangihau, 1977; Reedy, 1979, as cited in Rameka, 2016, p.392). There
are two practices that I think can be used effectively in early childhood
settings in order to encompass Māoritanga, one is to promote the use
of te reo Māori and one is to embrace one aspect of tikanga Māori
which is whanaungatanga (relationship) in daily practices.
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Te Whāriki (2017) stated that it is really crucial to appreciate and use te
reo Māori in all early childhood centres, including but not limited to
“using correct pronunciation, retelling stories, and using Māori symbols,
arts and crafts” (p.45) and teachers need to intertwine te reo Māori and
tikanga Māori into their daily activities. Skerrett (2018) also stated that
using Māori language should not be applied only for Māori children, but
for every learner within the environment, which is for me really
important to bear in mind and make efforts to follow through. The
learners here can be the children as well as the teachers, especially
non-Māori in learning te reo Māori. This understanding reflects the term
ako which was introduced by Rose Pere (1982), meaning there is no
distinction between teaching and learning or between the teacher and
the learner (as cited in Glynn, 2015). The teachers always need to be
open and eager to learn the language together with the children and
their whānau. Ritchie (2012) encouraged kaiako to use good quality
models of language in order to support language learning, instead of
only using minimal amounts of words or phrases. The language should
be used in meaningful contexts and with the usage of pepeha, waiata,
pūrākau, and karakia throughout daily activities at the centres.
Teachers guide tamariki to use pepeha to introduce themselves within
the connection with the lands they are from, the mountain, the river,
lake, or sea that has a deep impact on their identity (Thomas, Rokx and
Keelan, 2017). In addition to guiding, teachers can become good
models by composing pepeha for their own introduction. Moreover,
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kaiako can support the families to make their own pepeha and then the
family members can share with the children “why various people and
places are significant to them”, according to Thomas, Rokx and Keelan
(2017, p.66). They also encouraged the teachers to keep finding new
good meaningful waiata covering a wide range of topics for different
occasions to share with the children naturally throughout the day and
there is no need to just limit to mat time only.
Thomas, Rokx and Keelan (2017) shared that telling pūrākau to
children gives them essential chances to “learn about expansive
concepts along with personal endeavours and attributes” (p.64). They
suggested the teachers have appropriate attitudes towards the pūrākau
in which they believe that the children would be able to get the meaning
out of the stories. And to adapt to the different paces of each child’s
learning, teachers should keep revisiting the pūrākau and share with
children
“through
different
mediums,
resulting
in
familiarity,
connectedness, and eventually children becoming the storytellers
themselves” (Thomas, Rokx and Keelan, 2017, p.64), such as narrating
stories, reading books, utilising puppets, and so on. Rameka (2016)
stated her concerns about karakia not being considered and used
properly with its spiritual meaning but becoming more like a habit that
people use unconsciously throughout the day, for example, a step to
say prayers before mealtime. Thus, kaiako need to understand correctly
and acknowledge the “intent, meaning, purposes and power of karakia”
(Rameka, 2016, p.391) in order to convey those to the children. When
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teachers succeed in helping the children to feel confident with their own
language, Māori children will be able to “step up to function as rangatira
(leaders)
within
their
particular
whānau
(extended
families),
communities and as caring citizens of the planet.” (Ritchie, 2012, p.16).
Olds (2013) stated that “Article 3 of Te Tiriti promotes participation”
(p.19) and believed it is extremely vital to appreciate the participation
and contribution of the Māori and Tauiwi to the early childhood centres,
the society and the nation of Aotearoa. Therefore, it will be really
beneficial for teachers to embrace the whanaungatanga by having
“respectful working relationships with Māori learners and their whānau,
hapū and iwi which enhance Māori learners achievement” (Education
Council New Zealand-Matatū Aotearoa, 2011, p.6). According to
Rameka (2016), whānau are the keepers of the knowledge of te ao
Māori and they will be more willing to share it when there are good
relationships between them and the teachers and the centres and when
they have the trust that the knowledge will be shared with due respect,
appreciation and protection.
Parents and extended family should be encouraged to join centres’
community activities showcasing their own cultures in “collective
sharing and hospitality (manaakitanga) of diverse community foods at
centre celebrations” (Ritchie, 2013, p.321) such as the celebration of
Matariki or Waitangi Day. Ritchie (2013) believed that sharing kai from
diverse family members is an obvious portrayal of the centre members
who focus on respecting and caring for each other. The children also
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feel more connected and acknowledged when the food of their own
family is shared and valued by the teachers and other children in their
classrooms. Whānau can also be encouraged to become volunteers to
help support the operation and maintenance of the centres such as
gardening, fixing and building facilities like playgrounds.
Additionally, kaiako can reinforce their connections with the extended
families of children, especially the elders by facilitating for “kaumatua
and kuia have input into policies, practices, programmes, and
curriculum development” (Glasglow and Rameka, 2017, p.90) so that
the programme can become more supportive and more beneficial to the
Māori learners. Teachers can invite the elders to have a visit and tell
pūrākau to the children and teachers, sharing and explaining “tribal
protocols and rituals, karakia used for blessing food, and the timing of
certain cultural practices” (Glasglow and Rameka, 2017, p.91). These
are precious opportunities for not only the children but also the teachers
to enjoy and expand their knowledge and inspiration thanks to the
elders’ wisdom.
In conclusion, the role of the early childhood teachers in supporting
Māori children is so important because “Māori who are more secure in
their own cultural identity and self concept have higher educational
aspirations and outcomes than those who are less secure” (Durie,
1998, as cited in Macfarlane, 2009, p.44). Therefore, it is critical for
early childhood teachers to have authentic regard for Māori people,
language, history, Te Tiriti and tikanga Māori and based on that, they
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will be able to build up effective practices to weave those in their daily
curriculum with the children, such as promoting te reo Māori and
whanaungatanga and so much more.
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Reference List
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Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners. Ministry of
Education.
Glasglow, A. & Rameka, L. (2017). Māori and Pacific Infant and Toddler
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Glynn, T. (2015). Bicultural challenges for educational professionals in
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Mead, S. M. (2016). Tikanga Maori (Revised Edition) : Living By Maori
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