Very rarely, if ever, do you see humane treatment of indigenous people by colonizing populations. In the US, Native Americans suffered from European diseases, were forced off their land, and generally treated in a cruel manner. Unfortunately, New Zealand was not much different in the beginning, but it seems like in recent times, there is a much stronger connection between Māori and Pākeha (people of non- Māori descent). Based on what I’ve observed, I’d say New Zealand embraces both Māori and European heritage. For example, there are some words in the Māori language that are part of New Zealand culture like kia ora (hello) and Māori names for places, plants, and animals are common as well. Additional, many of my classes (engineering and otherwise) taught me about a mihi which is the Māori way of introducing oneself. A mihi describes your ancestors and the land you associate with home. I also heard stories of how a certain plant, animal, or geological feature came to be from the Māori worldview. Theses origin stories popped up both in and out of the classroom. Generally, I get the sense that Māori enjoy sharing their culture with those who are interested.
The Māori seem less protective of some of their cultural traditions. Maybe it’s just the Māori I’ve encountered and talked to, but I think it’s very interesting to compare this atmosphere to the one in the US. The relationship between the Native Americans and Americans? That feels more tense to me than what I’ve observed in New Zealand. I discussed this briefly with a fellow exchange student who’s studying indigenous cultures in New York. She agreed that there is a stronger relationship in New Zealand and she thought it was due to the Treaty of Waitangi. While not perfect, the treaty is a clear message that the Kiwis want to coexist with the Māori.
I also talked to one of the teaching assistants in my Māori culture class. He presented a comparison between the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and the US: it seems that the Māori look to the Native Americans and admire their sovereignty whereas the Native Americans look to the Māori for help on cultural restoration and revitalization. Due to the treaty, the Māori can’t become a sovereign people, but there has been and continues to be an effort to re-discover/bring back Māori traditional knowledge. Overall, I thought it was interesting to experience a different relationship between European and indigenous cultures from what I grew up with.