Why International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples?
"On this day, let us remember that Indigenous peoples are actors of change, guardians of natural resources and carriers of unique worldviews, knowledge and skills. We must protect their traditions and ways of life – while respecting their rights." Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
There are about 370-500 million indigenous peoples, representing approximately 5,000 different cultures and speaking about 7,000 languages. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is a way to celebrate the diversity of cultures which indigenous peoples represent. Indigenous people sustain the diversity of the “world’s cultural and biological landscape”.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is about raising awareness of indigenous peoples’ needs and promoting their rights while acknowledging their challenges and contributions they make globally. They are stewards of our environment, sustaining cultures and traditions. They hold crucial knowledges about how to safeguard some of the most biodiverse areas of our planet.
“Today and every day, the world must stand behind the rights of Indigenous Peoples to chart their own futures” (United Nations)
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand
From a Māori lens, interacting with other indigenous populations can only strengthen our ties with each other. “While Māori are redefining themselves, the indigenous world still looks to them for inspiration and leadership”. (Marae TVNZ)
Māori are reconnecting with their language and their culture; in this, Māori identity is strengthened. When Māori stand strong in their identity as an indigenous people, it serves as a source of strength and inspiration for migrants and former refugees who may share similar histories or hail from indigenous or minority cultures. This inspires them to embrace their own identity as they establish roots in Aotearoa New Zealand. As the circle of indigenous and cultural exchanges continue, so will our community as World Indigenous People grow and prosper.
At HOST, we embrace and uphold mātauranga Māori, indigenous knowledge of Aotearoa, by immersing ourselves in te reo, tikanga and te ao Māori. We work with and learn from tangata whenua and connect local community groups and arriving refugees to local iwi to initiate engagement with tikanga and te reo Māori from the outset to foster lasting relationships.
This ensures that they can feel tūrangawaewae, a sense of place and belonging. Many of those arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand, come from collective societies, like Māori, and so having this in common helps create a sense of safety and community in an otherwise foreign country for our arrivals.
Our work is inspired by a whakatauki gifteded by the late Tamehana Tai Rakena of Tainui to the broader community sector. This whakatauki, originating from Potatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori King, emphasises the strength and beauty found in unity and diversity. It draws parallels to the strength and beauty of a woven tukutuku.
Individual threads are weak, but the process of weaving makes a strong fabric. Woven together, the threads become beautiful and can tell a story.
Kotahi te kohao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro ma,
te miro pango, te miro whero.
I muri, kia mau ki te aroha,
ki te ture, ki te whakapono.
Through the eye of the needle pass
the white threads, the black threads, and the red threads.
Afterwards, looking to the past as you progress,
hold firmly to your love, the law, and your faith.
How do you engage with our indigenous populations? How can you ensure that former refugee and migrant background communities are connected with local iwi so that together, indigenous peoples can thrive and grow together, in a world that sometimes threatens this? How can you safeguard the rights of indigenous people to live in peace and dignity?
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