Indigenous more-than-humanisms: relational ethics with the Hurunui River in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Scholars working in (post)colonial settings have called for more-than-human (MTH) and post-human geographies to shift their gaze beyond Anglo-European ways of knowing the world. In this paper I explore the opportunities for an MTH political project that works in solidarity with and learns from Indigenous communities. I begin by examining the considerable synergies between MTH theorists’ understandings of nonhuman agency and kinship, and the worldviews of Ngāi Tahu (a Māori tribe). I then examine how Ngāi Tahu have worked within a new water management regime in the Canterbury region of Aotearoa New Zealand to articulate a relational ethics with the Hurunui River. In navigating multiple tensions and advocating for the lively river, the political space of the new catchment committee was expanded to (begin to) include the river. However, non-Māori who attempted to describe an understanding of a river-kin were less successful. This unevenness, I argue, highlights the complementary contributions to be made by expanded theoretical engagements. In particular there are generative possibilities for MTH theorists to work alongside Indigenous communities, and carve political space for more people to advocate for a relational ethics.

Más-que-humanismos indígenas: ética relacional con el río Hurunui en Aotearoa, Nueva Zelanda

Los académicos que trabajan en escenarios (post)coloniales han llamado a un cambio de punto de vista a las geografías más-que-humanas (more-than-human MTH) y post-humanas más allá de las formas anglo-europeas de conocer al mundo. En este artículo se exploran las posibilidades de un proyecto político MTH que trabaja en solidaridad con y aprende de las comunidades indígenas. Se comienza por examinar las sinergias considerables entre los conceptos de la agencia no humana y de parentesco de teóricos más-que-humanos, y las visiones del mundo de los Ngāi Tahu (una tribu maorí). Luego se examina cómo los Ngāi Tahu han trabajado dentro de un nuevo régimen de gestión del agua en la región de Canterbury de Aotearoa, Nueva Zelanda, para articular una ética relacional con el río Hurunui. Al hacerse camino a través de múltiples tensiones y abogar por el río lleno de vida, el espacio político del nuevo comité geográfico se amplió para (empezar a) incluir al río. Sin embargo, los no-maoríes que intentaron describir una relación familiar con el río tuvieron menos éxito. Esta desigualdad, se argumenta, destaca las contribuciones complementarias a realizar por los compromisos teóricos ampliados. En particular hay posibilidades generativas para los teóricos más-que-humanos para trabajar junto a las comunidades indígenas, y tallar un espacio político para que más personas aboguen por una ética de relación.

Plus qu'humanismes indigènes : éthique du relationnel avec la rivière Hurunui à Aotearoa en Nouvelle-Zélande

Les chercheurs qui travaillent sur les contextes (post)coloniaux ont demandé aux géographies plus qu'humaines (MTH) et aux géographies post-humaines d'étendre leur regard au-delà des manières anglo-européennes de connaître le monde. Dans cet article, j'explore les opportunités d'un projet politique MTH qui travaille en solidarité avec les communautés indigènes et en tire des enseignements. Je commence par examiner les synergies considérables entre les vues des théoriciens plus qu'humains sur l'intervention non-humaine et le sentiment d'affinité et les vues du reste du monde sur les Ngāi Tahu (une tribu Māori). J'examine ensuite comment les Ngāi Tahu ont fonctionné dans les limites d'un nouveau régime de gestion des eaux dans la région de Canterbury d'Aotearoa en Nouvelle-Zélande pour faire ressortir une éthique relationnelle avec la rivière Hurunui. En gérant les tensions multiples et en étant les défenseurs de la rivière bouillonnante Hurunui, l'espace politique du nouveau comité du secteur a été élargi pour (commencer à inclure) inclure la rivière. Pourtant, les non Māoris qui ont essayé de décrire leur vision d'une rivière-sœur ont eu moins de succès. J'argue que cette inégalité souligne les contributions complémentaires qui gagnent à être faites en élargissant les engagements théoriques. En particulier, il existe des possibilités génératrices pour les théoriciens du plus qu'humain de travailler avec les communautés indigènes et de se frayer un espace politique afin que davantage de personnes puissent prendre la défense de l'éthique relationnelle.

Keywords:

• relational ethics
• Indigenous geographies
• more than human geographies
• Aotearoa New Zealand
• water management
• (post)colonial geographies

Keywords:

• éthique relationnelle
• géographies indigènes
• géographies plus qu'humaines
• Aotearoa Nouvelle-Zélande
• gestion des eaux
• géographies (post)colonials

Palabras claves:

• ética relacional
• geografías indígenas
• geografías más-que-humanas
• Aotearoa/Nueva Zelanda
• gestión del agua
• geografías (post)coloniales

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the research participants for their generous offerings of time and knowledge, my wonderful Ph.D. supervisors, Sophie Bond and Andrew McGregor, and the three referees who were very encouraging and constructive.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

^1. Jane Bennett has distinguished between ‘animate things’ and ‘passive objects’. In writing about things, rather than objects, she attempts to illuminate ‘the curious ability of inanimate things to animate, to act, to produce effects dramatic and subtle’ (Bennett, 2004, p. 351, 2010).

^2. Throughout I refer to Ngāi Tahu and iwi worldviews in order to acknowledge that iwi have distinct ways of knowing. For Ngāi Tahu these worldviews are shaped by the relations through which the iwi originated, particularly three waves of southern migration, displacement and assimilation – the Waitaha iwi, Kati Māmoe, and the descendants of Tahu Pōtiki, Ngāti Kuri and Ngāi Tūhaitara (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, no date). There's no singular Māori perspective although there are many commonalities that have led other authors to describe Māori worldviews.

^3. Between July 2010 and February 2012 I conducted 42 semi-structured interviews with 10 of the 11 HWZC members (who were interviewed twice), as well as regional government employees, activists, advocates of water storage and prominent community members. I was also a participant observer at 12 HWZC meetings over a 20 month period.

^4. Pākehā is a commonly used Māori term that refers to New Zealanders of European descent, although its use is contested within on-going negotiations of identity politics in Aotearoa New Zealand (see Jackson, 1998).

^5. This information was obtained from communications released under the Official Information Act to Chris Todd, South Island Conservation Manager for Forest and Bird, and to Bryce Johnson, Chief Executive of New Zealand Fish and Game Council.

^6. However, many submitters misunderstood the proposal, submitting against iwi representation on the Council itself (Hurunui District Council, 2009).

^7. This article does not explicitly examine the politics of decision-making on the HWZC. Although important to how a Ngāi Tahu worldview was communicated, received and acted upon (or not), a comprehensive analysis of these politics is beyond the scope of this paper, but will form the basis of future publications.

^8. I have used pseudonyms for all research participants to ensure a degree of anonymity.