Pūrakau in culture theory and practice

Kelly Panapa

Unitec, Learning and Teaching SymposiumOctober 1, 2012

KarakiaTe puTe moreTe weuTe akaTe reaTe waonuiTe kuneTe wheTe kore Te poKi nga tangata Maori na Rangi raua ko PapaKo tenei te timatanga o te Ao

The originThe causeThe single fibre/strandThe long and thin roots of trees or plants/vineSpring up, grow/ multiply/ Murmur, make a low soundThe great forrestSpring, grow/ swell as pregnancy advancesThe caterpillar and stick insectsThe nothingnessThe darknessTo the Maori people of Rangi and PapaThis is the beginning of the world

Rangi and Papa

What do we know about this great Maori love story?

My story• Grew up in

Whangarei secure in my Maori identity

• Raised by my mum and grandparents

• Raised without Te Reo Maori but Maori cultural values/tikanga were upheld

Values instilled in me by my upbringing

• Humility• Generosity• Collectivity• Mana tangata• Tika, pono,

aroha• Manaakitanga

Whaka-whanaungatanga

Ko wai koe?

Who are you?

What is one value that you attribute to your upbringing that

contributes to forming your identity?

Do you have a story about it?

Pūrakau

pū = roots or the baserakau = of the tree

“Purakau refers to stories… Maori

narratives were highly prized, carefully

constructed and skilfully delivered. Purakau, …

were not… considered as sheer fictional accounts, invented imaginings or

mere talk.” (Lee, 2005, p.7).

Pūrakau – ‘ancestor lensing’

“attempting to explore, ask , and find out how our tupuna would have

viewed and treated any activity, event, and/ or problem. It then falls on this generation to critique the

timelessness of the solution and to adapt, if appropriate, the solution

for the contemporary situation. This gives utility to ancient wisdom while still making it context appropriate”

(Edwards, 2012, p. 45)

Teacher identity…O Culturally

cognisantO Valuing diversityO Utilise akoO Value

whanaungatanga

What kind of

teacher do I want to

be?

How has YOUR professional/teacher identity been shaped

by YOUR personal identity?

I utilise purakau to access ancient wisdoms and

theorise innovative ways to apply such wisdom to

contemporary contexts. This is a practice that I would like to encourage

others to try

Rangi and Papa in practice