Expressions of Māori multiplicity in (re)connection tongā taonga tuku iho

Urban Kanak Parents on Customary Trial: An Ethnography of the Customary Family Court of Nouméa, New Caledonia

“…If any conclusion on identity issues should be drawn from this study, it is that Kanak identity, like any other identity, can only be understood as a multiple, historical, and changing reality. In neighboring New Zealand, while many political and legal discourses define Māori identity in fixed and essentialized terms, the Māori scholar Lily George underlines, in a more tolerant and open perspective, the necessity of taking fully into account all the “expressions of Māori multiplicity”; that is, “the diverse and multiple ways in which Māori people express who we are as Māori” (George :436). In contrast, in contemporary New Caledonia there is no such Kanak discourse explicitly distancing itself from the normative customary framework and publicly echoing the multiplicity of contemporary Kanak social experiences—with the possible exception of certain Kanak artistic productions .…”

The Waxing and Waning of the Politics of Authenticity: The Situation of Urban‐Based Māori through the Lens of Municipal Politics

“…Obviously, universities, and research more generally, are also part of the larger political context. The politics of authenticity of the recent past created zones of exclusion for both researchers and topics that do not fit essentialist definitions of “real” Māori people or subjects (George , 445–7). This accounts for the relatively sparse scholarship on Māori urban experiences (see Gagné , 13–4).…”

“…Insecurities about my Māori identity and cultural (in)authenticity ensured that this challenge impacted on me greatly at the time. (George , 445–6)…”

“…But, she added: “inevitably time moves on and, for indigenous peoples, emphasizing mainly our commonalities no longer fully serves our needs.” For her, “fear of humiliation and existent feelings of shame … can be seen as a consequence of the cultural decimation resulting from colonization,” but also “an unintended consequence of the cultural renaissance” (George , 445).…”

“…For George, “problems arise when government policies including those around Treaty settlements resolutely maintain an emphasis on reified tribal structures as the mode for service and resource delivery” (George , 447). For her, the state is first and foremost responsible, while this should not preclude critiques of how Māori actively respond to state policies.…”