Kia ora, Malo le soifua, Talofa lava, Taloha ni, Kia orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Namaste, Ni sa bula, and warm Pacific greetings.
Welcome to the Māori side of Taumata Rau. In this special issue, we tell the stories of our people, the indigenous of Aotearoa. We are the original storytellers. Walking on the shoulders of giants, we have had to learn the conventions of pākehā kupu to create digestible narratives.
Even though we use the language that wasn’t of our ancestors tongue, we speak to them. We have found a deep connection to our tupuna. Through literature, we have agency to unpack what we have inherited, as well as engage with our present and future.
We are held in balance between papatūānuku and ranginui’s stability. The Earth Mother and Sky Father nurture us to seek growth and joy. The constant that we need to counter the inconsistency of life.
But support is mutual. We carry these giants with us too. Our whakapapa is etched into our being, and our tupuna sit in watch on our shoulders. Always. This can create a dissonance for many Māori and Pasifika people, who walk between two worlds. The straight edged tightrope of the pākehā and our natural rest in te ao Māori. We navigate between two spaces.
As your acting Māori Editor in chief, Molly, I acknowledge that my position is extremely privileged as a white-presenting Māori. I have been able to engage and disengage from my whakapapa for much of my life as a coping mechanism of feeling unworthy to hold myself and my tupuna up. But I was lucky enough to be surrounded by ātaahua tangata who carried me when I couldn’t see the path forward. It felt like there were people who believed in me when I gave them no reason to. That’s what many of us need, to not have our being questioned. In these spaces where we can authentically be ourselves, our wairua can take a break. That’s what we have hoped to provide in this issue, for readers and contributors alike.
That is the beauty of te ao Māori, an unseen connection between ourselves, our tupuna and each other. Reconnection is a path that is set for you, even if you don’t know it. Let that hold you tau in your navigation of this world. Be unapologetically Māori. Be unapologetically you.
This is the second edition of Taumata Rau, and our hope is that it will be the second of many more.
Hei konā mai, Aere rā, nāku iti noa, nā
With Love,
Molly Huggan (she/her) and Omni Arona (he/him)
Acting Māori and Pasifika Editors in Chief