Indigenous Identity and Environmental Values: Do Spirituality and Political Consciousness Predict Environmental Regard Among Māori?

Abstract

Indigenous peoples often have a unique and deep connection to the land. However, quantitative research exploring this issue is scarce. The current research investigates cultural variation in environmental regard in New Zealand, where more recent settler groups have questioned the strength of Indigenous environmental regard. Study 1 examined differences in environmental regard held by Indigenous and non-Indigenous ethnic groups in a nationally representative data set, the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study ( N = 9,269). Māori (the Indigenous group) expressed the highest levels of regard for the environment on average, although there was also considerable variance among Māori as a group. Study 2 adopted an emic perspective to investigate which dimensions of Māori identity are related to higher environmental value specifically among M āori ( N = 193). Bayesian regression indicated that sociopolitical consciousness—the extent to which participants recognize the importance of and stand up for Māori political rights—was linked with higher environmental regard. Contrary to predictions, belief in Māori spiritual concepts was not linked with increased environmental regard. These findings suggest that Māori tend to value the natural environment more than non-Indigenous New Zealanders at least in part because high environmental regard is central to Māori political consciousness.

To Be at One with the Land: Māori Spirituality Predicts Greater Environmental Regard

“…Given that socio-political consciousness fosters a protective attitude toward the environment amongst Māori (Cowie et al 2016), we predicted that Māori socio-political consciousness would correlate positively with valuing environmental protection. Conversely, we expected that Māori spirituality, an aspect of identity that emphasises people as descendants of Papatūānuku (the Earth mother; Dell 2017), would correlate positively with valuing unity with nature.…”

“…Given the importance of land, a vital aspect of tino rangatiratanga is the responsibility of Māori for the environment. As noted by Cowie et al (2016), Māori, connected by whakapapa to Papatūānuku, identify as tangata whenua (people of the land), a role recognised within New Zealand legislation. In this role, Māori are protected and sustained by the land, but are expected to reciprocate in turn-an obligation best exemplified by kaitiakitanga (guardianship/resource management; Kawharu 2000, p. 351).…”

“…Māori have fought to regain tino rangatiratanga (authority and self-determination; see Gillespie 1998) over lands lost via colonisation. Accordingly, Cowie et al (2016) found that socio-political consciousness-a dimension of Māori identity-correlated positively with Schwartz's (1992) value of protecting the environment and preserving nature. Yet, Māori perceptions of land also derive from spiritual associations.…”

Revisiting Environmental Belief and Behavior Among Ethnic Groups in the U.S.

“…They found that Native American children were significantly more interested in playing with the diorama than playing with the toy animals, and were more likely than non-Native American children to engage in perspective taking within nature environment (Washinawatok et al, 2017). In a similar line of research, Cowie et al (2016) examined the environmental values of indigenous people's (Maori) in New Zealand. They found that the Maori people expressed higher levels of environmental values than European New Zealanders partially due to Maori people's high sociopolitical consciousness.…”

Comparing Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors between an Indigenous and a Non-indigenous Sample from New Zealand and the United States of America

“…Addressing these problems requires international, collective efforts, necessitating a better understanding of environmental beliefs and behaviors in all cultures. While there has been a substantial body of literature on environmental beliefs and behaviors (see Bamberg & Moser, 2007;Hines, Hungerford, & Tomera, 1987 for meta-analyses), cross-cultural research in this area, particularly comparisons between indigenous vs. non-indigenous peoples, remains limited (see Cowie, Greaves, Milfont, Houkamau, & Sibley, 2016). In light of this limitation, the current study was designed to conduct a comparison of the environmental beliefs and behaviors between an indigenous and a non-indigenous sample from New Zealand (NZ) and the US.…”