Earth pigment practices in Aotearoa:
Advice for non-Māori
nā Sian Montgomery-Neutze
March 2023
In recent years, there has been a significant resurgence in the use of earth pigments across our toi Māori practices in Aotearoa.
Like so many of our other toi practices, the use of earth pigments was once an integral, organic part of Te Ao Māori. Over time, colonisation has severely impacted our practice of these tikanga. As a result, we have had to work hard to research, recover and repair our mātauranga around earth pigments and re-imagine their place in a colonised environment.
Some rohe have, of course, retained these practices over time, however others are still in the very early stages of recovering this mātauranga. But this is not a new experience for Māori. Over recent decades we’ve seen the resurgence of many of our toi and tikanga Māori - tā moko, ngā mahi a Te Whare Pora, whakairo, taonga puoro, ngā mahi a Te Whare Tapere, and te reo to name a few, all of which are at different stages of recovery.
Despite the huge successes we’ve experienced, this renaissance has not been without its challenges. After decades of Māori fighting to recover what is rightfully ours, one challenge we continue to face is that we should be ready and willing to freely share this mātauranga with Pākehā New Zealand and the wider world.
Historically, we as tangata whenua have been extremely generous with our time, knowledge and tikanga Māori. As a result of this ongoing generosity, Pākehā New Zealand has developed a sense of entitlement to Te Ao Māori. We are consistently told that we should “just be grateful” that people even want to learn about our culture and therefore continuously give without expectation.
The problem is not that non-Māori want to learn or understand more about Te Ao Māori. The issue rather is that for many Māori, reclaiming our mātauranga Māori is a hugely significant, inter-generational, emotional, and sometimes traumatic undertaking – one that comes with challenges that our non-Māori counterparts don’t have to deal with. On top of this, Te Ao Pākehā and Te Ao Māori values are starkly different and Te Ao Pākehā generally lacks two key values that are crucial to engaging with mātauranga Māori, namely:
1. A system of accountability. In Te Ao Māori this is largely guided by our whakapapa.
2. Tikanga. A system of engagement with all things, places and people, also intertwined with whakapapa.
In order for non-Māori to better understand how to engage appropriately with Te Ao Māori, they first need to understand these key values.
Accountability
In Te Ao Māori, it is our whakapapa that holds us to account. It’s a deep understanding of who we are and where we come from, of community, of belonging to, working for and representing a body that determines how we behave with one another across this whenua.
Conversely, Te Ao Pākehā is built on Western paradigms which largely value individualism, and therefore center individual needs or desires. This presents a fundamental difference in worldview. In order for Pākehā in Aotearoa to understand their relationship to this whenua, they need to intimately understand their own whakapapa. This is the most basic tikanga of engagement in Te Ao Māori - that is, establishing relationships to one another through whakapapa.
Understanding who you are, where you come from and how exactly you came to be here will not only give meaning to your relationship to this land, but provides the fundamental basis for engagement with mana whenua and te Ao Māori.
Tikanga (systems of engagement)
The next thing to understand as a non-Māori person engaging with any aspect of Te Ao Māori, is that you, in this context, are manuhiri.
Manuhiri loosely translates to guest but there is much more to it than that. The term manuhiri itself reaches beyond the immediate context and into the past and future, it is the forging of a relationship between both manuhiri and mana whenua, where there is an expectation of reciprocity, respect and rules of engagement.
Manaaki manuhiri (looking after one’s manuhiri) is of the utmost importance in Te Ao Māori, but likewise, being a good manuhiri is of equal importance. Being a good manuhiri includes waiting to be invited, respecting the tikanga of the hau kāinga/mana whenua, never taking advantage of their generosity, and ensuring that that generosity is reciprocated. This creates a balanced dynamic and is an integral part of our relationships in Te Ao Māori.
Earth pigment practices are particularly significant to Māori as they literally connect us with the whenua we whakapapa to.
When it comes to whenua and earth pigment practices, if you are non-Māori it’s important to understand your position as manuhiri in relationship to the whenua you are on. Each rohe has its own unique whenua, and each iwi their kōrero whakapapa, historical and political context, pūrākau, wāhi tapu and cultural practices. Add to this the fact that many iwi still don’t have full access to their whenua, or are in the process of recovering this knowledge and re-establishing these connections (and therefore may not be in a position to share or involve those from outside their iwi group) and you get a better understanding of the full context of this mahi.
Therefore my advice to any non-Māori keen to learn about or understand whenua practices is to start with your own whakapapa. Finding out as much as you can about who you are and how you came to be here will help position you on this whenua and in this context. Learn as much as you can about where your tīpuna come from, and their whenua and earth pigment practices. This advice is not unique to non-Māori, it is in fact normal practice for every Māori and indigenous person engaged in this work.
We as Māori are engaged in this rangahau all the time, ie. tracing waka connections, migrations across whenua, our own unique (ā-iwi) practices, understanding how we connect and being good manuhiri in other peoples’ rohe. This is important for non-Māori to understand, as there is too often a tendency or desire of non-Māori to want to pick up at our so-called ‘end point’ - meaning that we have done the groundwork to reclaim and understand our own practices, and non-Māori have not. Understanding your place in this work means doing so from a place of authenticity, not by simply appropriating the work of others.
Secondly, firmly position yourself as manuhiri in this practice, on this whenua, wherever you are. If you are in Ruatāhuna, you are manuhiri on Ngāi Tūhoe land, if you are in Taupō, you are manuhiri on Ngāti Tūwharetoa land, if you are in Taitoko, you are manuhiri on Muaūpoko land. This is something we as Māori instinctively understand, even if we’ve lived in rohe away from our own whenua for generations. This is the correct way to position yourself when engaging with Te Ao Māori.
Once you understand this, you will be better prepared to engage if the opportunity ever arises. As manuhiri, we always wait to be invited by mana whenua. If you are offered this opportunity, haere hei manuhiri, go only on the understanding that you are manuhiri, a relationship based on mutual respect and generosity, which means considering what it is you can bring to the relationship. If the answer is “nothing”, you may need to go back and think again.
It’s also important to understand that many iwi are still in the process or at the early stages of recovering this mātauranga or reconnecting with their whenua practices after generations of disconnect, and therefore may not be in a position to share, especially with those outside their own iwi. Respect this. These are all the things we all (Māori and non-Māori alike) need to consider when engaging with one another in Te Ao Māori.
Thirdly, if you are learning about whenua practices through online platforms or social media pages, understand that some content is aimed specifically at tangata whenua, as this is one place we can connect and knowledge build and know the difference between what is meant for you and what isn’t. Don’t take what’s not for you or ask for more than what has been offered freely. Allow us as mana whenua time and space to recover these practices uninterrupted. Understand that there are tikanga when it comes to working with these materials, and that it’s not your prerogative as a non-Māori person to claim, appropriate or monetize this mātauranga.
As mana whenua, we have worked hard to reclaim this mātauranga for ourselves, our culture and generations to come. The lens of inter-generational health and knowledge building is always central to this work. Understanding your own whakapapa, kōrero tuku iho and position on this whenua as a non-Māori person creates opportunities for genuine engagement and knowledge building, reciprocity and good relationship.
If you are interested in learning about whenua practices on this land, let it be from a position of authenticity and humility. Be a good manuhiri.