Ep. 30: River Roots, Public Service, and Dune with Teri and Shane Ta‘ala

This kōrero/talanoa with Teri (Ngāti Hineoneone) and Shane (Tagata Sāmoa) shares some of their stories about growing up on and near the Whanganui river, their experience working in public service, and some insights on the recent sci-fi film release of Dune. We unpack some words and concepts relating to identity and worldview, issues of accessibility and ethics in libraries and government sectors, treaty rights, and socio-political, ecological, and cultural insights on the film Dune (with spoilers).

 

There are a variety of words and terms in Te Reo Māori, Gagana Sāmoa, and Lea faka-Tonga throughout, here is a list of some of them with some basic introductory interpretations:

Māori: Papa kāinga (home base, communal Māori connection to land), awa (river), marae (ancestral courtyard and complex), hui (meeting/gathering), tangi (funeral, to cry), te ao mārama (concept for a world of knowledge and understanding), te ao Māori (Māori worldview), Māoritanga (Māoriness, culture), whakapapa (layers, genealogical consciousness, ancestry), mana whenua (local territorial authority), mātāwaka (Māori kinship generally), turangawaewae (where one stands, has authority to stand), iwi (tribe, extended kinship group), hapū (sub-tribe, intimate kinship group, clan), haukāinga (true home place, deep connection to place), te ao Pākehā (European/western worldview), kaitiaki (guardian, protector), Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), mātauranga (knowledge), mauri (life force), tapu (protections, setting apart), taonga (treasure, precious), ipu whenua (vessel for placenta), pito (navel, umbilical cord), tikanga (protocol, correctness), kaupapa (purpose), kaumātua (elders), kuia (grandmother elders), tohunga (master expert, grandmasters), pūtea (funds) … Hohoko (Tongan for making a connection, genealogy), Melenaite Taumoefolau (Tongan linguistic scholar referred to), afi  (fire, home fire, care for), masi saiga (Sāmoan for coconut biscuits), kopai (Sāmoan for dumplings), Papalagi/Papalangi/Palagi/Pālangi (Sāmoan and Tongan for European, distant foreigner).