The Death of a Queen
Maori queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu has passed at the age of 75. She had been queen of New Zealand's Maori people since 1966. She was a beloved figure in NZ and I remember passing by her home on the North Island when I visited in 2005.
The Maori continue to fascinate me with their unique traditions and relatively seamless ability to co-exist with New Zealand's non-indigenous population. The Maori are respected unlike the Aborigines of Australia who have been subjected to cruelty and social ostracism for centuries. Of course, my statements here are very general and there is a great deal of history behind each instance. However, I believe that, in comparison, New Zealand's and Australia's policies towards indigenous peoples can teach us a lot about ourselves and how we perceive difference.
posted by Roxie at Wednesday, August 16, 2006
2 Comments:
Wow Rox- you do blog about interesting stuff- but if you think the co-existence of aboriginal and non-aboriginal people is seamless in NZ you have to watch RiverQueen- it was not so seamless in the past- trust me
Yeah, I will, thanks. I was speaking in relative terms and with regard to what I witnessed when I was there in 2005. Of course there must have been extreme tension in the past as there always is when two peoples who differ ethnically are forced to cohabitate.
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