title: E hoki ki to maunga: The quintessential elements of home

authors: Emery, Debra Joy Tepora

subjects: hau kainga

abstract: He kopu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou;
whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e
Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992)
Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao. An affiliated member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, Ngati Pikiao occupies the Okere and Rotoiti Lakes district of Rotorua in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis seeks to acknowledge and address the concerns that Ngati Te Takinga has regarding impending cultural discontinuity. The concerns arise due to the hapū's limited human capability and capacity being the result of three things. Firstly, the ongoing demise of tribal elders (and leaders) and the subsequent loss to the hapū of cultural knowledge, skills, leadership and expertise. Secondly, the low numbers of adept,
culturally proficient successors 'coming through' (to replace the elders) and finally, the detribalised and diasporic (dispersed) nature of our people. The hapū and the marae Te Takinga (a last outwardly discernible bastion of Ngati Te Takinga cultural identity and distinction) are jeopardised as a result of these phenomenon.
This thesis is part of a hapū strategy that attempts to address these problems. Positing the
reconnection of our dispersed Ngati Te Takinga 'away-dwellers' as a beginning
solution, the central questions raised by this thesis are  how [does] Ngati Te Takinga
'home-dweller' discourse impact on the 'coming home' experiences and 'reconnection'
of Ngati Te Takinga away-dwellers?  and  what are the [are there] implications for Ngati
Te Takinga cultural continuity? 
The maintenance of Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity forms the aho mātua or main thread of this work. Using narrative enquiry as a broad methodological framework,stories were gathered from four different groups of Ngati Te Takinga peoples. The groups were home-dwellers (mana whenua or ahi kaa), te ahi tere (away-dwellers who
have returned home to live); te ahi tere (away-dwellers who intend returning in the future) and te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have no intention of returning home to live). The stories (narratives) investigated notions of home, belongingness and Māori identity in relation to the trichotomy of the connection, disconnection and the reconnection of Ngati Te Takinga peoples; the stories were analysed and co-constructed with participants for meaning.
The stories showed that while the hapū aspires to gather up the strengths of a dispersed people to reinvigorate our culture and the marae, existing and competing discourses around authenticity, authority and Ngati Te Takinga identity create a tension between the home (mana whenua/ahi kaa) and away-dwelling Ngati Te Takinga people; including those away-dwellers who have returned. As a basic requirement, this tension must be
diminished in order to build the relationships necessary to improve hapū allegiance
(whānaungatanga), to build hapū strength and to maintain hapū culture and identity. As a priority, decolonising strategies that facilitate an understanding of diversity, promote
participation, maintain tikanga and include our away-dwellers, our 'returnees' and/or our
disconnected people in our hapū-marae interactions, must be considered, developed,
promoted and practiced.

text: E hoki ki to maunga: The quintessential elements of home He kopu puta tahi, he taura whiri tātou;
whiringa a nuku, whiringa a rangi, te whatia e
Issue of one womb, we are a rope woven of many strands; woven on earth, woven in heaven, it will not break (Rev Māori Marsden, 1992)
Ngati Te Takinga is a hapū (sub-tribe) belonging to the Iwi (tribe) Ngati Pikiao. An affiliated member of the Te Arawa confederation of tribes, Ngati Pikiao occupies the Okere and Rotoiti Lakes district of Rotorua in the central North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis seeks to acknowledge and address the concerns that Ngati Te Takinga has regarding impending cultural discontinuity. The concerns arise due to the hapū's limited human capability and capacity being the result of three things. Firstly, the ongoing demise of tribal elders (and leaders) and the subsequent loss to the hapū of cultural knowledge, skills, leadership and expertise. Secondly, the low numbers of adept,
culturally proficient successors 'coming through' (to replace the elders) and finally, the detribalised and diasporic (dispersed) nature of our people. The hapū and the marae Te Takinga (a last outwardly discernible bastion of Ngati Te Takinga cultural identity and distinction) are jeopardised as a result of these phenomenon.
This thesis is part of a hapū strategy that attempts to address these problems. Positing the
reconnection of our dispersed Ngati Te Takinga 'away-dwellers' as a beginning
solution, the central questions raised by this thesis are  how [does] Ngati Te Takinga
'home-dweller' discourse impact on the 'coming home' experiences and 'reconnection'
of Ngati Te Takinga away-dwellers?  and  what are the [are there] implications for Ngati
Te Takinga cultural continuity? 
The maintenance of Ngati Te Takinga cultural continuity forms the aho mātua or main thread of this work. Using narrative enquiry as a broad methodological framework,stories were gathered from four different groups of Ngati Te Takinga peoples. The groups were home-dwellers (mana whenua or ahi kaa), te ahi tere (away-dwellers who
have returned home to live); te ahi tere (away-dwellers who intend returning in the future) and te ahi tere (away-dwellers who have no intention of returning home to live). The stories (narratives) investigated notions of home, belongingness and Māori identity in relation to the trichotomy of the connection, disconnection and the reconnection of Ngati Te Takinga peoples; the stories were analysed and co-constructed with participants for meaning.
The stories showed that while the hapū aspires to gather up the strengths of a dispersed people to reinvigorate our culture and the marae, existing and competing discourses around authenticity, authority and Ngati Te Takinga identity create a tension between the home (mana whenua/ahi kaa) and away-dwelling Ngati Te Takinga people; including those away-dwellers who have returned. As a basic requirement, this tension must be
diminished in order to build the relationships necessary to improve hapū allegiance
(whānaungatanga), to build hapū strength and to maintain hapū culture and identity. As a priority, decolonising strategies that facilitate an understanding of diversity, promote
participation, maintain tikanga and include our away-dwellers, our 'returnees' and/or our
disconnected people in our hapū-marae interactions, must be considered, developed,
promoted and practiced.

year: 2008

title: Renewal and resistance: Moko in contemporary New Zealand

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: maori

abstract: Moko is still here, contrary to the widely held belief that the art and custom of moko-Maori skin adornment-had vanished from New Zealand communities. Over the last two decades an increasingly visible number of Maori have revived and renewed the practice, taking colour into their skin. As an indigenous people, re-taking moko confronts and refutes the myth of a 'dying race'. It calls on Maori to recommit to strong Maori identities, customs and traditions and challenges the viewer to re-examine their social representations of moko and moko wearers. This paper reports the resistance strategies of a group of 83 moko wearers. Strategies include (1) educating, representing and reconstructing; (2) invalidating and minimizing representations; (3) building and enhancing social networks; and (4) securing cultural identity and pride. They reflect the celebration of cultural resilience.

text: Renewal and resistance: Moko in contemporary New Zealand Moko is still here, contrary to the widely held belief that the art and custom of moko-Maori skin adornment-had vanished from New Zealand communities. Over the last two decades an increasingly visible number of Maori have revived and renewed the practice, taking colour into their skin. As an indigenous people, re-taking moko confronts and refutes the myth of a 'dying race'. It calls on Maori to recommit to strong Maori identities, customs and traditions and challenges the viewer to re-examine their social representations of moko and moko wearers. This paper reports the resistance strategies of a group of 83 moko wearers. Strategies include (1) educating, representing and reconstructing; (2) invalidating and minimizing representations; (3) building and enhancing social networks; and (4) securing cultural identity and pride. They reflect the celebration of cultural resilience.

year: 2007

title: Review: Audio anecdotes: tools, tips and techniques for digital audio

authors: Whalley, Ian

subjects: music

abstract: Audio Anecdotes is the first in a series of three books covering creating, recording, processing, and analyzing sound and music, also touching on the opportunities presented by digital media and computing. This first book divides into eight chapters and twenty-five essays addressing measurement, perception, recording, synthesis, signal processing, computer techniques, computer tools, and human experience. Co-editor Ken Greenebaum notes that after being frustrated and disappointed with the lack of resources available to understand digital (and previously analog) media, his intention was “to create the book I wished for then and that I still want today” (p. xi). The editors note that “articles take a variety of forms: introductions, essays, in-depth technical explorations, presentations of tools and techniques, and post-mortem analysis” (p. xiv). With the variety of authors that have contributed, particularly those coming from beyond the academy and those drawing on personal experience, readers are encouraged to learn about the contributors’ backgrounds before reading each section.

text: Review: Audio anecdotes: tools, tips and techniques for digital audio Audio Anecdotes is the first in a series of three books covering creating, recording, processing, and analyzing sound and music, also touching on the opportunities presented by digital media and computing. This first book divides into eight chapters and twenty-five essays addressing measurement, perception, recording, synthesis, signal processing, computer techniques, computer tools, and human experience. Co-editor Ken Greenebaum notes that after being frustrated and disappointed with the lack of resources available to understand digital (and previously analog) media, his intention was “to create the book I wished for then and that I still want today” (p. xi). The editors note that “articles take a variety of forms: introductions, essays, in-depth technical explorations, presentations of tools and techniques, and post-mortem analysis” (p. xiv). With the variety of authors that have contributed, particularly those coming from beyond the academy and those drawing on personal experience, readers are encouraged to learn about the contributors’ backgrounds before reading each section.

year: 2009