Rival makes a meal of Moon
A new book on Maori cannibalism has been branded a return to Victorian values.
This Horrid Practice by Paul Moon from Auckland University of Technology argues that eating slain enemies was a by-product of battle rage and a violent society, and not about mana.
Rawiri Taonui, the head of Maori and indigenous studies at Canterbury University, says early European visitors exaggerated cannibalism as a way of demonising Maori.
While revisionist historians may have sanitised or excused past cannibalism, the pendulum has swung the other way.
"There's also this neo-reactionary or new right wing historian who sort of goes back into the past, albeit trying to be objective, but nevertheless falls into the trap of repeating those same Victorian sorts of Eurocentric perceptions of Maori society, and my concerns on reading the book so far is that's what Professor Moon does," Mr Taonui says.
He says Paul Moon bases many of his claims on the lack of recorded evidence from Maori before 1850 ... but Maori didn't share their tribal secrets before that time.
MOBILE POPULATION LETS FRANCHISE FALTER
Voting rights don't feature highly when people are on the move.
That's the experience of the Electoral Enrolment Centre, as it tidies up the rolls for this year's election.
It has purged more than 7000 names from the Maori roll in since May, and almost 29,000 since the last election.
Murray Wicks, the centre's national manager, says that's because those people's enrolment update packs were returned unopened from their last known address.
He says keeping on the rolls is a job people overlook when they're moving house, and the election date catches up with them.
It's a simple process to re-enrol, though it's too late to get on the printed roll for the election.
MUSOS GEARING UP FOR SONNY DAY TRIBUTE
It's the 10 day countdown for some of Aotearoa's finest artists to play tribute to a showbiz legend.
Sonny Day, known to his Hokianga whanau as Hone Wikaira, died in his Auckland home a year ago at the age of 64.
His career started in the late 1950s with bands like the Sundowners.
Organiser John Dix says it will be a good opportunity for friends and whanau who missed the tangi to remember Day.
"The urupa's on the other side if the harbour from where Sonny's marae was, so they didn't know what the tides were at the time. As it was, we had to get Sonny in the ground by 10am, so people were turning up during and after the event, so this will be a way of sending him off properly. It will be groovy," Mr Dix says.
Artists confirmed for next Sunday include Herbs Unplugged, Hello Sailor, Kim Willoughby, the Lowdown Dirty Blues Band (aka Supergroove), Midge Marsden and Unity Pacific.
NO NATURAL JUSTICE IN FOREST LAND CARVE UP PLAN
A Bay of Plenty claimant says a process to determine the mana whenua of central North Island forestry land makes no provision for natural justice.
The Maori Affairs Select Committee was in Rotorua today to hear submissions on the Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill.
What's known as the Treelord deal will share out the Crown's forestry business and accrued rentals on a broadly population basis.
Reuben Perenara from Ngati Rangitihi says the same small group who negotiated the settlement will then determine ownership of the land underneath by what the bill calls a tikanga Maori process.
"There is no challenge to that determination. There is absolutely not process to include any provisions for natural justice principles, legislative of otherwise. There is absolutely no determination as to what that tikanga process is. So we have absolutely no idea what process or tikanga is going to be used to determine the mana whenua," Mr Perenara says.
WAREHOUSE VOTER ENROLMENT STRATEGY STEREOTYPED
A media veteran and Maori Party candidate believes the Electoral Enrolment Centre is looking in the wrong place for Maori voters.
The centre is trying to find some of the thousands of Maori voters who have dropped off the rolls since the last election, and sign up ones who have never been enrolled.
It has put up a page at social networking site Bebo, and information packs in large retail chain outlets.
Derek Fox, who is standing in Ikaroa Rawhiti, says the centre needs a wider range of strategies.
"Bit stereotyping to suggest we should look for Maori at the Warehouse and Burger King and McDonald's. What about the gyms? Why aren't we at the rugby clubs? I know there is a very active waka ama group in Gisborne. Why are we not down at the waka ama club?" Mr Fox says.
It's a critical vote because it may be the first time a Maori Party gets to determine who leads the next government.
MARAE DIY STILL HAS 1000 TO GO
The fifth series of Marae DIY is in the can.
Nevak Ilolahia, the producer and presenter of one of Maori Television's most popular programmes, says it's encouraged whanau and hapu and get serious about doing up their special places.
She says it's a privilege to be part of the renovation team ... and there's no shortage of subjects.
This time the series gets to Great Barrier and Maraekopa in Whanganui, but there are still 1000 marae to go.
It will air in September.
This Horrid Practice by Paul Moon from Auckland University of Technology argues that eating slain enemies was a by-product of battle rage and a violent society, and not about mana.
Rawiri Taonui, the head of Maori and indigenous studies at Canterbury University, says early European visitors exaggerated cannibalism as a way of demonising Maori.
While revisionist historians may have sanitised or excused past cannibalism, the pendulum has swung the other way.
"There's also this neo-reactionary or new right wing historian who sort of goes back into the past, albeit trying to be objective, but nevertheless falls into the trap of repeating those same Victorian sorts of Eurocentric perceptions of Maori society, and my concerns on reading the book so far is that's what Professor Moon does," Mr Taonui says.
He says Paul Moon bases many of his claims on the lack of recorded evidence from Maori before 1850 ... but Maori didn't share their tribal secrets before that time.
MOBILE POPULATION LETS FRANCHISE FALTER
Voting rights don't feature highly when people are on the move.
That's the experience of the Electoral Enrolment Centre, as it tidies up the rolls for this year's election.
It has purged more than 7000 names from the Maori roll in since May, and almost 29,000 since the last election.
Murray Wicks, the centre's national manager, says that's because those people's enrolment update packs were returned unopened from their last known address.
He says keeping on the rolls is a job people overlook when they're moving house, and the election date catches up with them.
It's a simple process to re-enrol, though it's too late to get on the printed roll for the election.
MUSOS GEARING UP FOR SONNY DAY TRIBUTE
It's the 10 day countdown for some of Aotearoa's finest artists to play tribute to a showbiz legend.
Sonny Day, known to his Hokianga whanau as Hone Wikaira, died in his Auckland home a year ago at the age of 64.
His career started in the late 1950s with bands like the Sundowners.
Organiser John Dix says it will be a good opportunity for friends and whanau who missed the tangi to remember Day.
"The urupa's on the other side if the harbour from where Sonny's marae was, so they didn't know what the tides were at the time. As it was, we had to get Sonny in the ground by 10am, so people were turning up during and after the event, so this will be a way of sending him off properly. It will be groovy," Mr Dix says.
Artists confirmed for next Sunday include Herbs Unplugged, Hello Sailor, Kim Willoughby, the Lowdown Dirty Blues Band (aka Supergroove), Midge Marsden and Unity Pacific.
NO NATURAL JUSTICE IN FOREST LAND CARVE UP PLAN
A Bay of Plenty claimant says a process to determine the mana whenua of central North Island forestry land makes no provision for natural justice.
The Maori Affairs Select Committee was in Rotorua today to hear submissions on the Central North Island Forests Land Collective Settlement Bill.
What's known as the Treelord deal will share out the Crown's forestry business and accrued rentals on a broadly population basis.
Reuben Perenara from Ngati Rangitihi says the same small group who negotiated the settlement will then determine ownership of the land underneath by what the bill calls a tikanga Maori process.
"There is no challenge to that determination. There is absolutely not process to include any provisions for natural justice principles, legislative of otherwise. There is absolutely no determination as to what that tikanga process is. So we have absolutely no idea what process or tikanga is going to be used to determine the mana whenua," Mr Perenara says.
WAREHOUSE VOTER ENROLMENT STRATEGY STEREOTYPED
A media veteran and Maori Party candidate believes the Electoral Enrolment Centre is looking in the wrong place for Maori voters.
The centre is trying to find some of the thousands of Maori voters who have dropped off the rolls since the last election, and sign up ones who have never been enrolled.
It has put up a page at social networking site Bebo, and information packs in large retail chain outlets.
Derek Fox, who is standing in Ikaroa Rawhiti, says the centre needs a wider range of strategies.
"Bit stereotyping to suggest we should look for Maori at the Warehouse and Burger King and McDonald's. What about the gyms? Why aren't we at the rugby clubs? I know there is a very active waka ama group in Gisborne. Why are we not down at the waka ama club?" Mr Fox says.
It's a critical vote because it may be the first time a Maori Party gets to determine who leads the next government.
MARAE DIY STILL HAS 1000 TO GO
The fifth series of Marae DIY is in the can.
Nevak Ilolahia, the producer and presenter of one of Maori Television's most popular programmes, says it's encouraged whanau and hapu and get serious about doing up their special places.
She says it's a privilege to be part of the renovation team ... and there's no shortage of subjects.
This time the series gets to Great Barrier and Maraekopa in Whanganui, but there are still 1000 marae to go.
It will air in September.
posted by Adam | 9:28 pm
1 Comments:
Rawiri seems to be craving attention. He has not read the book in its entirity, yet is still happy to condemn it on premises that are manifestly wrong. Worse still, he has twice run off from Radio New Zealand when they tried to arrange a debate between me and him on this book. I would have hoped that Rawiri had a bit more fortitude than that.
Paul Moon.
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