Navigating by the stars: a critical analysis of Indigenous events as constellations of decolonization

ABSTRACT

This paper cultivates an approach to leisure scholarship which is more responsive to Indigenous peoples and responsibilities of translation. This study is grounded within kaupapa Māori, an Indigenous perspective specific to Aotearoa New Zealand that privileges Māori epistemology. We apply this to a longitudinal analysis of media representations of an Indigenous event (Puaka Matariki) held annually since 2004 in Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. We find that media narratives surrounding the event use te reo (Māori language) in a way that demonstrates its acceptance in the wider non-Māori community, a clear respect for Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) through the incorporation of identity and values, the manifestation of whanaungatanga (collectivity and social relationality), and the assertion of tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty). We conclude that events such as Puaka Matariki can act as expressions of empowerment for Indigenous communities traditionally marginalized through experiences of colonization.

KEYWORDS:

• Aotearoa New Zealand
• events
• decolonization
• Indigenous leisure
• Indigenous methodology
• Māori

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Trudie Walters

Dr Trudie Walters is a Lecturer in the Department of Tourism, University of Otago, Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Her event studies research agenda centres on how events are utilized, perceived and valued in a non-economic sense. She works at the intersection of events and marginalization and is interested in how community events contribute to quality of life and social well-being for marginalized groups in New Zealand. A further strand of her events research focuses on issues around accessibility, diversity and inclusion at academic conferences. She is Associate Editor and Reviews Editor for the Annals of Leisure Research journal, serves on the Boards of the World Leisure Organisation and the Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies, and locally is on the Vogel Street Party Trust.

Diane Ruwhiu

Dr Diane Ruwhiu is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management, University of Otago, Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa/New Zealand. She is a Māori researcher of Ngāpuhi tribal affiliation whose research examines the multiple modes of Māori economy and the many distinctive forms of organization that emerge therein. A current thread of research engages notions of gender, indigeneity and ways of knowing, specifically mātauranga-a-wāhine (Māori women’s knowledges). She is a Principal Investigator in a foundation project for Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga (Māori Centre of Research Excellence), leading a project on the intergenerational reality of Māori small-to-medium sized enterprises – transforming economies and economics.