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).