Becoming Tangata Tiriti: Working with Mori, Honouring the Treaty

(Paperback)

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Description

Becoming Tangata Tiriti brings together twelve non-Mori voices dedicated professionals, activists and everyday individuals who have engaged with te ao Mori and have attempted to bring te Tiriti to life in their work. In stories of missteps, hard-earned victories and journeys through the complexities of cross-cultural relationships, Becoming Tangata Tiriti is a book of lessons learned. Sociologist Avril Bell analyses the complicated journey of todays partners of te Tiriti o Waitangi, and asks: Who are we as tangata tiriti How do we identify in relation to Mori What are our responsibilities to te Tiriti What do we do when we inevitably stumble along the way With words by champions in their fields, including Meng Foon, Andrew Judd and others, this concise paperback acts as a guide for those just beginning their journey towards a Tiriti-based society and is a sound refresher for others well along the path.

Reviews

Based on interviews with twelve non-Mori New Zealanders, Bell expertly weaves their narratives with existing writing, exploring what it means to be a good ally to Mori in contemporary times. To call it a how-to manual would be too reductive but it does offer a pragmatic set of tools for those willing to do the work. Through teasing out the ways in which non-Mori have engaged with te ao Mori, and the often layered and nuanced complexities these engagements create, the book offers an invitation to Pkeh and, in fact, all non-Mori to be part of the conversation around what makes us New Zealanders and how we might move forward in ways that are just and that enhance the mana of Mori and non-Mori alike. An easy-to-read book that should be compulsory reading for anyone concerned about our countrys future. Rebecca Kiddle, Ngti Porou, Ngpuhi, Te Wnanga o Aotearoa, co-author of Imagining Decolonisation

Author Bio

Avril Bell is a Pkeh New Zealander and honorary associate professor in sociology at the University of Auckland. Her research centres on the legacy of settler colonialism in making sense of Pkeh identities, New Zealand national identity and MoriPkeh relations. Her book, Relating Indigenous and Settler Identities: Beyond Domination (Palgrave, 2014) extends this focus to make connections between settler colonialism in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA. She is co-editor of A Land of Milk and Honey Making Sense of Aotearoa New Zealand (AUP, 2017).