3387
New Zealand Journal of Ecology (2019) 43(3): 3387
Enhancing awareness and adoption of cultural values through use of Māori bird names in science communication and environmental reporting
Research Article
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin 9054
- Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha, Te Tumu, School for Maori, Pacific, and Indigenous Studies, University of Otago, P.O. Box 54, Dunedin 9054
- Ngāi Tūhoe, PO Box 27, Tāneatua 3126
- Fitzgerald Applied Sociology, P.O. Box 8526, Riccarton, Christchurch 844
- Wildland Consultants, 764 Cumberland St, Dunedin 9016
- Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Waitaha, Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240
Abstract:
I roto i ngā whakaputanga rerenga koiora, e whakamahia ana ngā ingoa Māori o ngāi kīrehe, e tautoko ana i ngā wawata o te ahurea Māori, e mau ana te reo Māori me ōna mita huhua, e whai wāhi ana te whanaungatanga o te iwi taketake me te pūtaiao, tae noa ki te mātauranga Māori me te koiora, ngā hua, ngā uara hoki. Nā te tipu mai o Ngāi Niu Tireni i te reo Māori, kua tūwhera he tatau hei whakapai ake i ngā whakaputanga rerenga koiora. Heoi anō, ahakoa e kitea ana te tautoko haere o te whakauru whakaaro Māori, o te whakatakotoranga kupu Māori (ngā ingoa o ngāi kīrehe) me ētahi mātauranga Māori, puta ana he raru ko ēhea o ngā ingoa hei whakamahi, ā, te rerekē hoki o te mita o te reo o tēnā rohe o tēnā rohe. Hei konei mātou kōrero ai i te whānui o ngā ingoa Māori o ngā manu me te whakamahi i aua ingoa i ngā whakaputanga rerenga koiora, ngā whakahaere, ngā rangahau, tae noa ki ngā pūrongo pūtaiao. E whakaaro ana, e whakamātau ana hoki mātou i ētahi āhuatanga para huarahi hei whakatairanga mōhiotanga, hei whakamahi anō hoki i ngā ingoa o ia rohe kia mātau ai, kia mārama ai i ngā manu, i te ahurea Māori hoki, i te orokohanga mai o ngā ingoa o aua manu. Ka whakaatu hoki mātou i te huringa o ētahi o ngā ingoa o ngāi kīrehe i roto i te wā poto me te tohu i ētahi ara torohū i hua ake ai ēnei āhuatanga.
In biodiversity reporting, use of Maori species names supports the cultural aspirations of Maori. It helps to retain the Maori language and its dialects, and implicitly acknowledges indigenous relationships with the environment. However, although it is clear that there is growing support for incorporating Maori views, terminology (including species’ names) and knowledge in New Zealand environmental reporting, there is often confusion about which Maori name to use, and about some of the regional nuances of the language. Here, we discuss the range and use of Maori bird names in biodiversity reporting, management and research as well as science communication. We piloted some potential mechanisms for improving awareness and adoption of regional names as well as the knowledge and understanding of both birds and culture those names contribute. We show that shifts in the use of species names can occur within short periods of time and identify potential pathways through which such shifts might occur. We emphasise that working with communities should be central to the incorporation of Maori bird names in regional and national reporting to support regional language variants that reflect the relationships of those groups to specific places and build community capability. We propose that creating a federated dataset to build maps of Maori bird names will support such reporting.