The 2nd of April 2016 marks 100 years since the Police arrested the Maori prophet Rua Kenana in Tuhoe Land.
Rua Kenana was arrested and history also tells us that 3 people died and a girl was abused in this whole tragic ordeal.
There is no doubt that this was a tragedy for the people of Ngai Tuhoe and Whakatohea, and the arrest of a man considered a prophet and local spiritual leader, for any group, would indeed be difficult.
Some accounts say that the aftermath was equally difficult, and the movement never really recovered. Worse yet, down to today there has NEVER been any serious inquiry let alone any sort of acceptable apology to the people and now their descendants, for what took place.
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THAT all being said... I want to personally explore the idea of, Maori preference and Maori discrimination of other Maori.
Specifically, the idea that Maori of the early 20th century could take on non-Maori concepts like 'Prophethood' * and that there is NO question of this.There is no doubting it and it is NOT critically analysed or even critiqued**. It is as if, it is totally acceptable that in the 20th century, some Maori spiritual leaders like Rua Kenana or T.W. Ratana took on the non-Maori concept of Prophethood and that this was OK.
No such notions are popular today, though similar leaders of Maori descent have emerged in the late 20th century and have prominence in the 21st century, people like "Bishop Brian Tamaki".
Again, for the wider Maori population none of this, in the main, at all raises many eyebrows. The idea, that Maori can take on and have deeply held beliefs that do NOT originate wholly from their own cultural practices and ideas is NOT a worry.
Thousands of Maori can be Mihinare (Anglican) and there is no backlash or questioning.
Further to this, I am NOT suggesting that ANY of this is wrong, unfair or bad. It is NOT.
I find beauty in the fact that there are thousands of Maori Christians. There are hundreds of Maori Buddhists too, and I suspect that Maori are part of many if not all religious groups present in New Zealand. This is amazing and demonstrates a great beauty and diversity that I greatly admire in a very genuine way.
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That all being said, I can't help but wonder something as I write this blog entry late at night.
On several separate occasions in the last 2 years, myself and other Maori Muslims that I know have been in the media (TV, Radio and Social Media) and the comments, particularly online about many of these appearances have generally been overwhelmingly negative and critical. Worse yet, it is not just the viewers and commentors online, but even SOME media outlets that have deliberately gone out of their way to paint Maori Muslims in a negative light.
And even if a media outlet does NOT go out to paint Maori Muslims negatively, the commentor-brigade regularly makes sure to comment and insult as vehemently as possible, sometimes even making actual threats of violence to Maori Muslims.
And sadder STILL, This negative behaiviour is NOT questioned!!!!
Yes, the discrimination against Maori Muslims is NOT questioned or critiqued and no one seems to be making loud noises about the fact that it is wrong, well, no-one except Maori Muslims themselves.
That's not to say that people don't think discrimination against Maori Muslims is wrong.
Maori TV did an amazing story about Maori Muslims. And the story was well put together and showed Maori Muslims in a very positive way.
But just take a look at that same story on social media and you'll see the commentor-brigade hard at it again speaking generally in a negative, discriminatory tone.
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Again, there is no attempt to say that discrimination only targets Maori Muslims. It is not something that is easily stopped and everyone, no matter how ignorant is entitled to their own opinion and view and each view has a level of relevance and validity.
It is just interesting to note, that no one criticises the discrimination or even questions it's existence.
No one calls it bigotry if is directed at Maori Muslims. But it is called bigotry and even racism and discrimination if it is directed at Mihinare, Ringatu, Ratana or even Destiny Church.
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I just want this to be noted and pondered upon. I want YOU as a reader to think about how this post makes you feel, what it makes you think.
Are you a Maori who identifies with a faith?
Maybe you are? Or maybe you are not Maori but know about religious discrimination.
Maybe you are a Maori who agrees that it is OK to discriminate against Maori Muslims, so long as no-one discriminates against YOUR own church.
Or Maybe, you are a Maori who secretly laughs at any and all Maori who don't just hold to the ways of our tikanga tuturu and our kawa only. Amongst THIS number are people who think Maori should just pray to IO, or Tane and Tangaroa and to pray to any other God is to show that you are really lost and "don't know your identity".
EVEN More interesting, is that SUCH a line of 'NOT knowing one's identity' or being lost is very very regularly thrown at or slandered against Maori Muslims, but Maori Christians never ever seem to get the same line thrown at them. Even though there is NO DOUBT ANYWHERE, that neither Islaam nor Christianity are exclusively Maori let alone were present in their current forms, amongst Pre-Contact Maori.
These points are very interesting to note, to ponder and to think about.
This whole blog entry will probably be used on a regular basis.
This blog entry is also an invitation to begin to question discrimination.
The reason being, that 100 years ago, No-one seemed to question that a particular Maori religious group were unfairly targetted... and in effect severely discriminated in a way that had far-reaching consequences. That discrimination has effects even today.
And NO-ONE really stood up to it even then, We see NOW the results of NOT standing up against discrimination of a Maori religious group. They and their leadership and membership were vilified. No-one said anything.
Let us hope that SUCH discrimination were it present today for that or other Maori religious groups begins to be stamped out, because people actually SEE that it is wrong and actually
SPEAK OUT AGAINST MAORI (OR ANYONE) WHO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST MAORI!!!!
* This definition you'll notice is taken from a dictionary, and in the main explores Post-Contact Non-Maori ideas of Prophethood. THAT, being said, both Muslim Readers and Maori within Academia recognise that a particular and uniquely Maori Form of Prophethood was extant Pre-European contact. Maori Acedemia assert that such instances were there and Muslim Readers assert Religious texts which point to Divine messengers amongst all peoples. THIS part of the Blog entry obviously focusses on the emergence of Prophets in a Post-Contact Maori world though, which is separate and distinct from those 'Prophets' in the Pre-contact world.
** It is possible that such has happened, and that academic rigour and research may well have been applied to the 20th century Maori notions of Prophethood. The ASSUMPTION of this blog is that such rigour and critique is NOT widespread and not general knowledge of the wider Maori populace.
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