non-Māori
In essence, the pepeha is an introduction for any person and their affiliations in a Māori context for one purpose, to make connections. I’m emphasising this because most people mistakenly think that the pepeha is all about introducing yourself.
The pepeha has developed out of a need, in an ever-expanding world, to connect with others of the same iwi, hapū, whānau or rohe, especially for those who weren’t brought up within their kinship groups. For many Māori people who are not strongly connected to te ao Māori, this is one of the mechanisms to reconnect with those kinships and to feel a sense of belonging.
This desire to feel part of a collective, to know one’s place in the larger scheme of things, and to have a real sense of belonging and a confidence in that belonging, is also a reason that the pepeha is very popular with many businesses, organisations and Pākehā and Tauiwi. This is especially the case in courses on te reo Māori, tikanga and te ao Māori.
Link to article: Pepeha for non-Māori - E-Tangata
