Perhaps it’s time for a tikanga Māori month too
Two Māori teenagers being asked to perform karakia over old human remains that were “found” in a high school has left me feeling a little less hopeful about the progress of race relations in Aotearoa.
I’ve been told by former students that these kōiwi have been known about for years and nothing has been done about it.
Regardless of the fact that the bones had been donated for scientific purposes, most people will agree that it’s completely inappropriate to ask two students, teenagers, to take up the role of pou tikanga and provide a spiritual cleanse over the bones. That request, although put forward from a place of good intention, shows the massive deficit of cultural awareness that remains within the psyche of non-Māori.
Link to article: EGGS and bones: Perhaps it’s time for a tikanga Māori month too | The Spinoff
