#the actual south pacific (like Aotearoa)

[slacktivist]

Well researched short doco about the anti co-governance movement in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Also I stand in solidarity with my Indigenous relatives and Pacific Indigenous peoples, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that are working to have their voices heard. The fact that such a referendum was created and the rights of Indigenous people, who have lived in the Pacific, in Australia for thousands of years, are put into the hands of others.

Referendums have a time and a place. Referendums are for when the government is lazy and want the public to make the decision. But what if you have misinformed your public, or if your public does not engage? Then whose hands are you leaving the decision in? I am sure that the lower rates of voting for Indigenous people in NZ are also low for Indigenous people in Aus. So this to me is not really representative of the people to make this decision. We need to really start taking Indigeneity seriously because culture happens even when we stop. The earth keeps spinning and sea levels keep rising.

Decisions for Indigenous people need to be determined by Indigenous people. But this means more than what is on offer with this Aus referendum. How is it possible to create a representative body, when Aboriginal nations all over Australia already have their own governing bodies and systems for government. I really feel that this is another western solution, to a western-derived problem. Just like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole.

You cant really synthesize Indigenous peoples through assimilation into the functional structures invented in the West. Not unless it's legitimately cool and makes sense, if you think that's possible then why not tell Palestine and Israel to become a single nation, tell North Korea and South Korea to become Korea. The answer is obvious, you can't just tell people to decide on what they are or who they are (especially if you're actually NOT THEM), they just ARE. Whyy would you make it a vote, knowing that surveys and polls are not an accurate capture of the general population, let alone marginalized populations.

It's possible to create an environment where polls are an accurate depiction but it's far from reality. I am Fakaofo Tokelau, I will never be Nukunonu Tokelau, or Atafu Tokelau. But we are all Tokelau together. We are all together, Tu Tolu, three nations, we give thanks to Tui Tokelau, who looks after ALL. what makes us all Tokelau, makes us strong, and what makes Fakaofo Tokelau, different to Nukunonu Tokelau and Atafu makes us stronger.

[two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat]

There is a very tall plant with yellow flowers growing out of the middle of the bush honeysuckle

Its gotta be at least 7 feet tall

If its a native plant I am impressed. That honeysuckle was slowly killing 3 trees

I gotta get out there later to try and identify it. The flowers are facing away from the house so I can't see the front so looking at pictures of flowers isn't helping much. And I need a better look at the leaves. I think it may be a type of sunflower?

Idk how I havent noticed it before

Look at it go

[fatehbaz]

hi maybe you’ve written about this before but i’m working for someone who is part of the ecological landscape alliance and we’ve been having big talks about the concept of “invasive” species vs “native” plants and how the concept is rooted in xenophobia, and also talking about how maybe invasive plants aren’t that bad?? this goes against everything i’ve ever heard anyone talk about invasive species but i really don’t know all that much about it. sounds silly maybe coming from a farmer but i really don’t have a super firm ecological understanding, most of my plant knowledge is agricultural based and im really curious to learn more and was hoping you could point me in the right direction?

Yes, I definitely run into this disk horse all the time. Especially the “maybe invasive plants aren’t that bad” discussion. It seems the native/alien stuff is most often mentioned in disk horse about the Anthropocene. Basically, you’ll sometimes see statements like: “Is anything really natural in the Anthropocene?” I have also seen, and spent a lot of time contemplating, how belief in the categories of “natural” and “alien/invasive” in discussion of ecology might be rooted in or at least inadvertently support racism/xenophobia.

But I am still wary of the “native vs alien” and “no creature or landscape is really natural, not any more” disk horse, at least as explored by some white/settler-colonial academics, for exactly the same reasons: because it might be rooted in or support racism/xenophobia. Because the proposal that “nothing is native, nothing is invasive” itself can actually engage in a sort of “settler absolution” that obscures how there really is a contrast between imperial and Indigenous peoples, and the “nothing is natural, nothing is invasive” proposal could excuse the colonial/imperial introduction and expansion of monoculture by accepting the spread of industry/agriculture/non-native species as an inevitability. And these concepts can actually work to generalize conditions of ecological degradation and apocalypse, as if to say that “all humans now live in such a damaged world, we’re all victims” (even though many non-white, especially Indigenous, people actually bear most of the violence and burden of living in “post-apocalyptic” ecologies.)

But actually, I don’t think I can be too helpful here.

I still have a lot of contemplating to do, about how categories of natural/invasive in ecology might support the violence of categorizing people as natural/invasive. Don’t really know where I stand yet, y’know? So I don’t want to be too quick to come to a conclusion. I don’t even really want to offer opinions here. That said, I am very sensitive to language, and the language that I use. So I do appreciate that there is an effort to interrogate the negative consequences of describing things with words like “alien”. Also, the categorizing of lifeforms is and always has been a mess.

I don’t have many reading recommendations. The “native vs alien” and “nothing is really native, actually” proposals are concepts that I brush up against but don’t read too deeply into, even though this disk horse has been popular-ish in dark ecology and academic ecology/environmental studies circles for at least 10 years or more by now.

I guess, for my thoughts on native vs alien, what counts as “natural”, invasive species, and how the disk horse can excuse settler-colonial/imperial racism, I would point to this post I made about Pablo Escobar’s feral hippopotamuses in Colombia.

One introduction to the concept, which I think is an enjoyable read (though I don’t necessarily agree with all of his implications), is this essay by Hugo Reinert about the category of “natural” and the “purity” of a species: “Requiem for a Junk-Bird: Violence, Purity and the Wild.” Cultural Studies Review. 2019.

Anna Boswell’s very famous article about stoats and non-native species in Aotearoa kind of dances around this same issue of naturalness: “Settler Sanctuaries and the Stoat-Free State.” Animal Studies Journal. 2017.

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Generally, I agree with the implication that there is no “remote” or untouched corner of the planet where ecology has escaped human influence.

On that aspect, here’s a post I made about “planetary urbanization”.

But the native/alien disk horse can be extended to problematique degrees, with proposals that sometimes remind me of sci-fi goofiness, like fans of dark ecology or weird fiction or Mieville/Van der Meer got a little too excited about “the boundary between human and other-than-human has become so blurred that there may as well no longer be distinctions between native species and invasive species”, like they got a little too drunk on theory and just decided that “everything is in flux!”. Criticisms, then, of the “nothing is native” disk horse include how this oversimiplifies ecology and might enable/excuse settler-colonial invasion.

A lot of the “invasive plants are good, actually!” disk horse I’ve seen shows up in Australian literature written by settler scholars, which might be pretty telling.

Basically, it seems some scholars will take Alfred Crosby’s “neo-Europe” and “ecological imperialism” concepts, and then say something like “look, the damage is done, so much of Earth’s soils/landscapes are altered by introduced plants that we may as well accept it as the new baseline/normal ecology, and work from there.” As if to point at how North America has been entirely overrun by non-native earthworms and then to say “well, the worms are going to inevitably destroy hardwoods forests, soils of the Great Lakes region, the boreal-temperate transition zone, and maple trees which supply place-based maple syrup foodsheds, so we may as well accept that we live in a damaged world.”

I don’t know if I’m entirely satisfied with this.

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Other related concepts brought up in the same  discussion of “nothing is really native” might include “invasion biology” and “assisted migration.” I see these concepts brought up in academic writing from the University of California system, Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and “environmental humanities” generally. Basically, these writers/scholars will point to the past ten thousand-ish years of the Holocene, and how humans have had such profound influence on global ecology that “introduction of non-native species” and “mass-scale anthropogenic climate/ecological change” are not just recent developments since Industrial Revolution or Indus/Yellow/Mesopotamian statecraft, but even older. For example, I’ve talked a lot about how, in the Late Pleistocene or early Holocene, the Asiatic steppes and parts of the Great Plains could have apparently been more like intermittent woodlands before humans engaged in deliberate fire-setting to better target megafauna herds, meaning that the human role in creation of vast “naturally-occurring” grassland regions may be underestimated. This dove-tails with the better-established fact that the forests of Central America and eastern North America in the early Holocene were/are actually more like cultivated food forests managed by Indigenous people.

The argument, then, may also point to yams, sweet potato, and coconut as examples of creatures with what now appear to be “old” and “established” widespread transoceanic distribution ranges which actually may have been introduced via assisted migration by humans.

The argument, basically, says: Well, let’s say hypothetically that humans didn’t play a role in spreading sweet potato or coconut. By chance, if ocean currents “naturally” introduced these species, if these plants “naturally” colonized whatever lands they were swept off towards, doesn’t this mean they could essentially be “natural” to anywhere they might arrive and successfully establish themselves? Therefore, does it really matter if humans helped them get there?

This seems to be related to the “no plants are actually invasive” proposal. As if to say: “If English pasture grasses have successfully reproduced themselves in Patagonia, Aotearoa, South Africa, the Canadian prairies, etc., what does it mean that their migration was assisted by humans?”

But this is where I have reservations: It wasn’t just any humans that “assisted the migration” of monoculture grasses from Europe to the prairies of Turtle Island. It was specific humans, with deliberate intent, upholding specific institutions, protecting their own well-being at the expense of other humans and lifeforms, enacting specific violence against specific victims.

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Another aspect of this which I see mentioned often is how early human/Polynesian settlement in Oceania and the South Pacific is an example of how mass anthropogenic ecological change doesn’t always involve statecraft, mass mono/agriculture, and imperialism. Aside from the famous decline of creatures like the moa, Polynesian islands were also home to relict species of large land turtles and ancient terrestrial/semi-arboreal crocodiles until human arrival in recent millennia. Writers will also point to human settlement in the Caribbean, where human arrival coincided with extinction of remnant populations of endemic Pleistocene ground sloths. (This also happened on Mediterranean islands, which hosted endemic species of hippopotamus and goats until recent millennia.)

Again, though, this is where white/settler-colonial academics advocating “nothing is natural” can kind of obscure settler-colonial violence, by pointing to history of anthropogenic environmental change and saying “see, all humans provoke extinction.”

Thus, you’ll see these scholars invoke Anna Tsing or Donna Harraway, referencing the “arts of living on a damaged planet” or “living in post-capitalist ruins.” Essentially, advocates of “nothing is native, any more” might say “we all live in a post-apocalyptic world now, so we should get used to it.”

This, coming from white/settler-colonial academics, sometimes rubs me the wrong way, as if it’s sort of like wish-fulfillment, or “an adventure” for comfortable white academics to engage in low-stakes thought experiments about extinction, naturalness, and apocalypse from which they’re actually largely insulated, at least compared to the poor, non-white, non-academic people who cope with the worst of environmental racism and ecological collapse.

This, again coming from white/settler-colonial academics, is also of course more than a little grating, since it kind of co-opts or culturally appropriates the “Indigenous/Native people actually live in a post-apocalyptic world” concept proposed by Indigenous scholars. It kind of takes from Indigenous/non-white people, and then generalizes the apocalypse as something that all humans now live with in seemingly equal measure, obscuring the fact that many people are actually forced to cope and/or live with more-serious-of-an-apocalypse than others.

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At the end of the day: Sure, kudzu or English pasture grasses or coconuts or European earthworms or domesticated cattle might be generalist species which can successfully inhabit landscapes across the planet. So whether humans introduce them via agriculture, or whether they "naturally" expand by some accident or by drifting across ocean currents, they might exist in this strange ontological space between "native" and "alien" which confounds human conceptions of what "belongs"? And this is worth considering! This is good to think about! But there are still, and always have been, those "small" landscapes, those isolated pockets, those relicts and remnants in shaded stream corridors, where small populations of endemic species teeter on the verge, with highly-specialized adaptations to highly-specific microhabitats. You're not going to "assist the migration" of or "accidentally introduce" a cave-obligate salamander from a limestone cavern or a temperate rainforest-dwelling land-slug to a desert biome.

But, again, I still think it is good to stop and ask ourselves whether categories of “natural” and “alien/invasive” in ecology make sense, are outdated, or if they reinforce racism/xenophobia. And, again, I haven’t read enough -- I haven’t grappled with these questions enough -- to have an opinion which I’m comfortable sharing, so I don’t want to discourage this disk horse too much.

Anyway, hope some of this is interesting. Sorry. Again, I don’t really have any good recommendations.

[alaura5675]

Welp just watched Hollow Mind and….

WHAT FREAKIN FLIPPITY FUCK

Philip Whittlebane is a fucked up person through and through

The way he thinks terrifies me honestly like this is a person i would honestly be terrified of

Someone who can only see his viewpoint as the right one and then inflict and punish others for not following or agreeing with his every word.

All his carnage and manipulation of people and the demon realm

Its…just plain scary. Beacause its so very real. It has happened and continues to happen

A couple months ago during the hiatus i wrote a post, writing about how I believed the Owl House was heading towards the subject of how the church was used to colonize and destroy the cultures of the indigenous people of the Americas.

And all i can say is that this show has hit the mark. In describing and accurately depicting the awful crimes that happen during colonialism. What happened to the Americas, South Asia, Eastern Asia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), the pacific islands. Today In Pakistan and In Ukraine, and many others…

The restricting of culture and language(magic), The killing of those who disagree, labeled as anarchists or sinners (wild witches). The outright imprisonment to starvation (V and the other basilisks).

These are signs of coloniasm and genocide. And the Fact that Dana Terrace is doing this is bringing me a weird sense of Happiness, but also grief and anger

Happiness that were at a point where we can actually air a show like this. And talk about serious issues.

But I’m also just overwhelmed by the fact that its not being treated seriously. And its getting canceled. Probably for the same reasons im so happy it exsists.Its a weird sense of knowing this show and those who see and understand. Know how important shows like these are to give meaningful connections, that history and the news don’t when ur in ur own bubble of the world.

But also the sad fact that this show like many others gets written off for its medium. Or for the fact its for “kids”. I think im going in circles at this point

But going back to Philip. I think Dana Terrace has created this character extremely well that i think other shows that have attempted to create a pure villain haven’t. I’m not sure I have the words to describe it but like i said earlier this is a man i would be truly terrified of and mostly i think its his way of easily manipulating any situation to make himself the victim. Or the martyr the hero. He flips the narrative for everyone else including himself. Because he truly believes he is the hero. And nothing will change that. (i could literally write a whole acdemic esaay with sources on how fd up he is, and how his mind literally alters his own perception of his actions)

Referencing other similar characters. I think of are Ozai, and Og Hordak in shera. They are colonizers and mass murders. Intent in genocide. But personally I was never afraid of these characters. Ozai was always off screen. We saw his abuse through his children. And the world. But we never saw his direct influence as a person if that makes sense.

And OG Hordak just kind of swept in and we saw him as a character. But never him directly influencing and actively harming others. If that makes sense???

So Philip has both enough character, action, and hearsay. As well as harming their own family multiple times. And traumatizing them indefinitely. Plus the imperialism and genocide to boot.

What im trying to say is. This show has raised the bar on villain writing. And I think has given a just outlook at describing the horrors of Imperialism, The awful parts of Christianity, and Shared Trauma. As well as just writing a good fuckin story making me cry every fin episode.

Thanks to all the people who work on this show and working with a studio that doesn’t want them to succeed. We the fans appreciate all your hard effort to write, animate, and in general produce this story. I love it and can’t wait to cry next saturday

disclaimer: by acurrate depiction i mean for a disney show meant for children between 7-12. Which I would normally expect nothing. Just to clarify…

[nottonyharrison]

Rules are simple: List five things you want your followers to know. It can be very simple or very specific. Then you tag at least 10 people.

I was tagged by @sdktrs12​ who has more faith in my knowledge of facts than I have in myself. Seeing as I have cornered the tiny weird south pacific nation part of this fandom, here’s five things to know about well... Aotearoa New Zealand

The first year of tertiary study is now free here. The student allowance kinda sucks (if you’re even eligible for it), but at least you don’t have to pay for a one year diploma. Also our student loans are interest free provided you don’t bugger off overseas with your qualification. It is still hella expensive to do a three or four year degree though, and if you want to do postgrad it’s an actual nightmare.

For the first time ever under MMP (our electoral system since 1996 where you vote for both a local candidate and a party), we voted for a one party majority. This is contrary to something I read on some American news sources stating that coalitions are rare here. That’s false, they are the norm and have been for 24 years.

The longest single word place name in the world is Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu which is a hill in Hawkes Bay. Yes, I had to copy and paste that, and yes, I can say it IF I AM READING IT.

New Zealand’s longest running scripted TV show is a hospital based soap called Shortland Street which first aired in 1992. I watched it for a short period in the mid 2000s when there was a serial killer storyline so I wasn’t left out of the water cooler chat.

The longest running unscripted TV show is a farming docuseries called Country Calendar, which has been airing sine 1966. That’s fifty four years. The show is infamous for trolling audiences once a year and making entire segments dedicated to things like farmers playing fences like instruments, and the invention of the first remote controlled heading dog.

Look, I have no idea who has done this, I’ve been a total flake. Join in if you want to (and I mean that) because I am interested in your knowledge.

[scarletheart333-blog]

people: Maori

In the 1980s, the independent label Flying Nun Records had a lasting influence on the rock sector. While groups such as The Chills, The Clean, The Verlaines and Tall Dwarfs shaped the so-called Dunedin Sound, Bailter Space from Christchurch are still among the best-known representatives of New Zealand's noise rock today. Since 2000 there is also a free trade agreement with Singapore. This was extended to Chile and Brunei in 2005 and is now known as the P4 Agreement.

What is Kapa Haka?

The area of New Zealand is almost as large as that of Germany, but with about 4.5 million inhabitants it is much less populated (Germany has about 82 million). The country is divided into two similar large and elongated islands, which are connected by a ferry.

Perhaps New Zealand's most beautiful bird was almost extinct before conservation programmes stabilised its species. The white egret with its snow-white plumage and turquoise circles around the eyes is found throughout the South Pacific, but it only breeds in Whataroa, north of Franz Josef Glacier. There are not only traditional sandwiches with ham, sausages, cheese and salad, but also wraps. Their filling is often a mixture of European and Asian ingredients and spices. Read more about campervan hire New Zealand here.

Although the beginnings of rugby actually come from the state schools of England, rugby in New Zealand is the national sport of the "average Kiwi".performing arts - or Kapa Haka- of Māori includes songs, rhythmic dances and the wild Haka (war dance). The new Haka is said to have been developed over more than a year and in cooperation with many experts in the culture of Māori. and called it "Aotearoa" - the land of the long white cloud. Valuable jewellery and traditional weapons can be viewed and in some cases purchased in museums, galleries and artists' studios throughout the country. Many of the techniques used in carving and weaving have hardly changed for centuries and can be seen in numerous demonstrations. By the way, if you find a piece of jewellery made of Pounamu (New Zealand jade) that you like, have someone else buy it for you - according to legend, New Zealand jade brings luck to the wearer when it is given away. The wild landscape has not yet been tamed in every respect, dangerous places are

Māori Culture

To visit a marae, you must be part of a tour. In the countryside there are fewer or, apart from the rare Katipo spider, hardly any dangerous animal species. In New Zealand more than 1100 spider species live from the worldwide known ca spider species. The puffer fish is not only found under water. A Japanese dish called "Fugu" consists of parts of the pufferfish. If it is not cleanly cut up, it can happen that people die. Ask your health insurance company or book travel insurance online. Fees may vary depending on deductible, age, nationality and other travel destinations. {

What dangerous animals are there in New Zealand?

Dangerous animals in New Zealand In the countryside there are fewer or, apart from the rare Katipo spider, hardly any dangerous animal species. In New Zealand more than 1100 spider species live from the c

[chelseaartlab]

Rāpare (9.2)

Discussion of independent - artists collected?

“Constructive Criticism” > I like this and I would do that differently...

Hanne Lippard

Performance artist? Reading… faux fur, tinsel, red lippy, a celebration? ‘cheap,’ trashy?, everyday.

Her rhythm of language came from typography - decided that spoken voice has more ‘persona’

Translating text to sound

“Taking words out of cold state”

Seeks spam mail as degenerate; ‘b-language’ > b-movies

Cheap and trashy language

Using film presents the sounds/actions of receiving SMS - communication that is neither what we hear or who we meet, but still an instant message

Methods:

Audio installations, writing books (typography), audio as live performance (reading) - with ‘music’ accompaniment - rhythms,

Body language in film - how you read faces etc

Collecting fragments of language (from all over the place)

Use of words - ‘tongue twisters’ (known phrases); individual words listed for rhythm/sound rather than meaning; but also translations of words based on meaning; repetition; degeneration of words.

Using found language (eg. online personality/stress tests) as the leaping off point…

Things “we” do… things I do…

Art an come from our habits/obsessions eg. writing lists

Comfort and discomfort - sibilance sssss’s - mouth noises - (misophonia - can’t tolerate mouth sounds) - “the tongue is warm in my mouth” - visceral qualities of speech.

What language do you think in? - what/who is the voice in your head?

George Dickie - definitions of art : limits of language and thought - see also Wittgenstein language games - basic principle is that words have meaning because of the context and the ways we use them. Art works have a meaning because of where we see/experience them eg. in an institutions (they might have a different meaning in another place); conversely words can change and/or lose meaning if we use them in ‘different’ ways.

Words = meaning : the hallucinogenic quality of words (test yourself on the ‘stroop effect’)

Words have meaning if there is someone to hear/read them (metaphysical question posed by George Berkeley - “If a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear, does it make a noise?)

Can words get in the way of thinking?!

When you ‘say’ things out loud you find out whether or not they mean anything/what you meant.

For Hanne speaking is an act of making

She doesn’t refer to her work as poems/poetry: is she appropriating poetry for ‘contemporary art’?

Hanne asks questions but not for you to answer - rhetorical questions.

Hanne makes eye contact through the screen - acknowledges a distant (mediated) audience. In theatre : “breaking the fourth wall”

Performance is ‘taking on a persona’ : she also ‘plays the role of artist’

Stress of being constantly ‘connected’ - constant tones of message arrival.

Contemporary icons (iconicism) iconoclastic

Her tone was distracting - there is a ‘blandness’ to her persona, shows up how hard it can be to attend/concentrate/hear.

Douglas Rushkoff : https://rushkoff.com/books/present-shock/ - now we commercialize people’s attention - “attention economy” - meta-data collecting

Media Studies / Spoken word poetry / Artist’s books / automatic text generating (https://app.inferkit.com/demo)

Task: using auto-text function of text message app. Start with a found text, add 5 words from auto-text suggestions, and one word of your own choosing - continue this sequence till your ‘done’ (task was given 10 minutes)

her set ups or stage props are usually common house hold items. ones that are reoccurring are fans and wires.

I think her work is sort of like white noise that we are meant to listen to.

she uses a soft voice when she speaks. sounds like she is hypnotizing us.

I found that the apple ringing tone although associated with stress was edited to sound more relaxing. I think this speaks to egnoleging your stress and changing your environment to de stress.

I also see a correlation between the feeling of zoning out to the sound of my alarm and listen to Lippards work.

Hakiar

sound in general, language, muilt lingual, coming together to listen to a person speak (the actual act of her work is taking you away from your phone), listening, appreciating communication,

Rebecca Ann Hobbs

New Zealand artist

I liked:

Measured the bridge - measuring by dance

But it wasn’t accurate enough to really say yr measuring the bridge

What is being measured? Does

Video is 2’48” - a whole 2” over.

Was the walk actually to measure because she didn’t start or finish at the beginning or end of the bridge

It takes 2’33” to ‘measure’ in her own time

There is a difference in experience/travel between dancer and camera - she might get left behind

Dance & walk - expressive motion

Appropriating dance culture > hip-hop; ‘dancehall’ - Jamaican origins now in Aotearoa.

Place: bridge over the Manukau - good place for fishing - between Onehunga and Mangere Bridge - ‘south Auckland’ - Māori and Pacifika neighbourhoods.

Dancer is wearing headphones - makes her isolated from other occupants of the space.

Removes items of clothes being stripped off

Part of a series - perhaps things become clearer if you watch more…

Is it “sexualised”? In some ways yes and other ways no…

Dancehall - night clubs etc. suggests sexualised environment

What is the relationship between removing (reducing) the sexualising aspects of Dancehall and the (objective, empirical act of) measuring.

Is this international black identity (politic) > overarching response of shared experience by people of colour - particularly the expression via hip-hop.

Maungataketake: efforts gone in vain to rebuild/replace Maungataketake - volcanic cone that was quarried (in the 1930s… i think)

Polystyrene is bad environmental material

Futile activity

Lack of communication

Why 15 minutes? - it’s so long and unedited - the effort takes a ‘long’ time - endurance performance.

Is 15 minutes a long time? - relative time - the average amount of time spent with an art work in a gallery is 6”.

Endurance: looked heavy and difficult, doing the same movements over and over.

Connections: isolated feeling - wide open space - not being noticed - location (Maungataketake is also south Auckland… near the airport - part of Ihumātao area) - the first is a journey (a to b) but the second is ‘pointless’, just keeps going in the one place - the camera angle is similar even though one moves like journeying, the second is still like sitting - both share a movement in and out of the frame (tension of miss framing) and wide angle landscape format - appearance and action in/on the landscape, it is segmented eg. broken by dance movements; sliced in polystyrene; what is the political implication?

Martin Awa Clarke Langdon & Qiane Matata-Sipu are both Māori. Rebecca calls herself a “mozzie” - Māori diaspora in Australia.

Performance and critique of colonial land practices - occupation and dispossession, land confiscation and surveying (subdivision into privately owned “unit title”)

measurement is such a strict action to do, it dose not rely on an individuals interpretation, it's even across the board

she personalizes measurement, the woman moves across the bridge in her own way another person would do it different, but they are both walking the same distance.... everyone lives the same day but each do something different with it.

hip hop is a dance discipline that doesn't have the same hard rules as styles such as ballet. it was created from people who didn't fee like they could express themselves in society. its a fitting style because it encourages individuality.

south auckland used to be one of the lower income parts of auckland, it represents the Maori and pacific people of an urbanized and westered country. She is encouraging self expression to these Maori and pacific.

in relation to Hakari:

she celebrates movement, culture, expression of self, expression of culture, being proud of who you are, not allowing yourself to be oppressed, recognizing the hard ships one can go through being part of minority, not caring what people think,

Independent:

Practice: Hanne Lippard

- make another text work

- make a new one

Practice reading/performing it. Film/record yourself (this is as documentation but also reflection - how could you say/perform differently - see “spoken word” )

Be ready to perform this in a breakout next class

Make a Rebecca Ann Hobbs related work

Copy these notes into your ‘workbook’ - add, extend, correct: append to each section ideas in relation to Hākari eg. what is being celebrated.

You have full access to the library - use a mask on-site please

Digital access to Google via library - tips on using Google well: https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=94140fe5-18e3-45ce-a0a5-05201d2ab91c%40sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNvb2tpZSx1cmwsdWlkJnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=100259629&db=ers

Referencing: please note Artists name, title of work, year, media… sometimes very useful to know where exhibitied/performed - website citation &/or book citation.

[ignitesthestxrs]

As a New Zealander does Maori culture have any influence on the cultures of your stories?

For me it does! I mean I think that Maori culture has an influence on...the society that I live in and person that I am to a degree.

It’s kind of hard to explain if you aren’t a New Zealander, but there’s a definite tension between the sort of...official veneration that Maori Culture receives (the haka, powhiri, the importance of attending Waitangi and the marae on Waitangi day, hongi, the fact that like half of the places in this country at least are known by their maori names), and the reality that white new zealand remains hella racist and thinks that it isn’t, and that there’s a lot of systematic racism that affects Maori in particular in tangible ways (the poverty line, incarceration, arrest rates, domestic violence, suicide rates, education pass rates).

but you can’t be a kiwi and not influenced in some way by Maori culture It is a red thread that runs through the whole nation, particular the farther north you go. so for me specifically, i can’t write a story that folds in my...sense of self and history without having Maori culture influence it.

SPECIFICALLY Sleeping Gayly is set in a sort of mishmash of fantasy 12th century Normandy and New Zealand. Te Wheke (Maori for ‘the octopus) is basically the uncolonised Aotearoa (although it is a collection of 8 islands, not 2 and a nub), while the country that the story actually takes place in is Angevine, which is a location on the mainland that both Te Wheke people and other (whiter) people came to and created something of a society before they were invaded by the fantasy France empire

A large number of Te Wheke people withdrew in the face of Capet invasion, and although Capet has been overthrown now and they are Formal Allies with Angevine, there is a definite fear and concern that Angevine’s imperial ambitions will turn south to the islands  instead of sweeping up north to take chunks out of Capet.

Basically I didn’t want to create a world in which colonisation was inevitable, but I didn’t want Angevine to be White As Hell either. AND on top of that, I didn’t want to ignore the damage and danger of colonisation. So I have sort of.... split things as best I can, with Te Wheke remaining their own sovereign nation that is on equal standing with Angevine, but Te Wheke people living on the mainland.

Colonisation is a threat and Angevine is not some post-racial Haven. It suffered under the boot of Capet, but in turn it holds the same potential to become a colonist state in and of itself. This is further complicated by the fact that the Queen of Angevine married the son of a Te Wheke chief to solidify their alliance, which is how the princess and love interest of this story is half Angevine, Half Te Wheke (or half white, half Maori, in real world terms).

So the tension between Angevine’s Imperial ambitions and Te Wheke’s fear of colonisation is both a world building tool, and a source of character tension between Queen Eleanor and her daughter, Anahera.A part of Ana’s character arc is struggling with what kind of queen she wants to be and where she wants to lead her country. The character of Tane also exists as a native Te Wheke boy, and you get more of this national tensions in their relationship as they have been in love with each other, but his love for his country and his concern over Angevine and Anahera’s conflicting loyalties ultimately proved too much (just as the allyship between Te Wheke and Angevine is a shaky and somewhat mistrustful one).

Maori cultural values inform a lot of how I have built Te Wheke - Maori myths explain the formation of the islands, Pacific navigation informs the secret truth that Te Wheke is actually VASTLY HUGER than just 8 islands, and in particular the focus on community and family over self informs the construction of their magic.

Magic in sleeping gayly is formed by each country’s...general personality and values. Tane on his own is not an especially powerful mage, particularly when he is away from home, but he can draw on the power of his family and community to become something terrifying and formidable. This is in contrast to the highly individualistic Capet, which is characterised in Prince Henri, where magic is drawn entirely from yourself and your own energy reserves - you have more specific control over it, but no single mage can do the damage that a Te Wheke mage could manage).

so yeah maori culture definitely influences the story a lot, but i am doing my best to manage it in a way that is...both paying homage and also reflecting real tensions that exist in my own society, rather than just wholesale stealing. it’s a complicated task, but i feel that it should be a complicated task. i’m white, i’m pakeha, it’s not my job to write from the maori perspective, but it is my job to acknowledge their presence in my society and culture through my writing, and translate that into my work imo.

[ccc-sarahjaneseddon]

Michael Parekowhai, The Lighthouse, 2017, installation. https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/the-lighthouse 

Week 3

What might the work/s be about?

From just looking at the picture you can see that it is a big sculpture of Captain Cook sitting and looking down. Therefore I believe that this sculpture is about the history of Captain Cook and Aotearoa. I have looked at https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/the-lighthouse and found that the sculpture is titled The English Chanel and its location is Queens Wharf in a house looking building called The LightHouse “The Lighthouse is the house that holds the whole universe as we know it.”  Captain James Cook is sitting among neon lights which I didn’t at first know the true meaning behind the lights. The neon clusters are to represent star constellations.

Star constellations from our Māori ancestors, were used as a form of knowledge to be able to voyage in the correct direction by tracking the position of the stars and watching them throughout the nights. Star navigation is important nowadays as we continue to look back at the knowledge of our ancestors. For example in the episode Artefact(watched in communication for makers), Jack Thatcher, talks about how he uses the stars similar to our ancestors to track the direction he is voyaging in. Jack would look at the stars throughout the night and use their knowledge to help him on his own journeys across Aotearoa. This is an example of knowledge from the past still being used today. 

My Groups diagram/sketching/notes.

From researching and reading about The Light house our group noted down important information to do with The Light House and The English Channel. 

Reading notes

I have chosen Byrt, Anthony (Pākehā). "State house rules: Michael Parekōwhai's sculpture is Auckland's new best thing". Metro, 7 February 2017. I have chosen this reading because it is about The Light House and Michael Parekōwhai’s work that we have chosen to study.

The location of The Light House/ The English Channel is Queen’s Wharf in Auckland.

“The struggle for the retention of this land,” Ngāti Whātua leader Joe Hawke said in 1977, “is the most important struggle which our people have faced in many years. And to lose this last bit of ground would be a deathblow to the mana, to the honour, and to the dignity of the Ngāti Whātua people.”

still, from almost every point around the harbour, you can see that mansion-less strip of green, a tribute to the power of peaceful resistance and the mana of Ngāti Whātua.

Michael Parekōwhai whakapapas to the East Coast

‘The Lighthouse’, a powerful and permanent sculpture in the shape of a state house

Since ‘The Lighthouse’ is shaped like a state house, it looks like a place where someone lives and not a piece of art. I find this artwork interesting because it is placed in a state house and not a gallery. In my opinion the house feeling could make people feel more at home to the art piece rather than being surrounded in a massive art gallery with thousands of people all walking through a bigger building. It can also welcome people to look inside the the building as if they are at someones home or Whare. This building is smaller and you would never guess what was inside unless you knew ‘The Lighthouse.’ I would walk passed this and think that someone lives inside and not expect “That it is more than just a house.”

It simultaneously memorialises Māori resistance, pays tribute to our shared histories of navigation and migration, honours our egalitarian past, and acts as a gesture of permanent subterfuge in the heart of our property-obsessed city

There were cries for consultation (which the public duly got, with over 80 percent of submissions in favour).

it’s a one-to-one model of a two-storey state house. The windows are slightly lower than a regular house so that kids and the disabled can look through and experience the work fully

The artist has thought about how the user will view the artwork and has taken the audience into consideration. Mentioned in Communication for Makers we talked about accessibility for disabled and to always think about how people move around your design. The artist has lowered the windows to allow all audiences to get an experience by being able to look through the windows. This means kids and people with disabilities who are unable to see through higher windows can look at the art piece and not be disadvantaged in anyway. The stairs on the outside are just for show to look like a state house. It also means that some viewers are welcome to look at The English Channel from above. Therefore some audience may be restricted because of their disabilities because they may not be able to go upstairs, but this issue is resolved by having the windows on the bottom. This does have a disadvantage though if they want to look at top. When designing always ask yourself, how will the audience access your art work? Can everyone access your artwork without any disadvantages?

the entire construction budget came from private sources: a million dollars from Barfoot & Thompson and another $500,000 from anonymous donors. Auckland Council’s contribution came through things like staff time, site investigation, research, and consents.

The colour is a steely blue that sits perfectly between sea and sky. Unlike actual state houses, it has fancy copper gutters, which the salt air will gradually oxidise to a shimmering green

Around its perimeter is a wooden walkway that’s more jetty than deck, designed to create the effect that the whole structure is floating. On one side is a staircase, which takes you up to look through the upper windows; halfway up is a landing that offers a perfect, unimpeded view of the Waitematā, like a platform on a cruise ship.

Shutters, another architectural divergence from a traditional state house.

The house itself isn’t actually the most important part of the work. The most important – and exciting – aspect is what you see when you look inside.

when he doesn’t make fun of a cultural convention, but memorialises it, the best example being The consolation of philosophy: Piko nei te matenga series – 12 photographs of arrangements of artificial flowers commemorating battlefields in World War I where the men of the Māori Battalion fell.

‘The Lighthouse’ is one of the very rare works that achieves all three qualities at once. Looking through the windows (visitors can’t go inside) there’s no division between the two floors.

You are able to just walk past the art piece and can go at your own time just by looking through the windows. As mentioned before the windows are the bottom are accessible for kids height or people with disabilities who are unable to look through higher windows.

The only other feature that can be associated with a conventional state house is a moulded fireplace.

it was suggested the work would contain a costly Venetian glass chandelier, a multi-layered reference to New Zealanders constantly looking to the “old world” for cultural affirmation and the crucial role the New Zealand forces played in liberating Venice at the end of World War II

walls are covered in neon constellations, the same star formations that, on a good night, you’ll see when you look up into the sky. They’re also the constellations that guided the first people here and that have been crucial to Pacific migration 

Star constellations as I have mentioned before are apart of our ancestral knowledge. When coming to Aotearoa our ancestors would use the stars to navigate the vast pacific ocean on their journey. This navigation was done by tracking the stars throughout the nights and continuously watching the star consultations to track the direction they were heading in. For example, in my own time I use the southern cross to locate the south because it points towards the south and is relevant to Aotearoa star constellations.

Star constellations: were also vital to Captain James Cook’s voyages.

Material = a giant stainless-steel sculpture of Captain Cook, trapped like Gulliver, sitting pensively in front of the fire – a static form whose surface moves like mercury as the constellations reflect off him.

The neon constellations are carefully sequenced rather than simply flashing on and off, so that light moves around the interior – and around Cook – fluidly

Matariki star cluster will rest on the black maire floorboards – but the points will be neon facsimiles of signatures on the Treaty of Waitangi, including that of the flag-chopper, trickster and iconoclast, Hōne Heke.

This connects to Māori history of the Treaty of Waitangi and Hōne Heke. As well as using Matariki star cluster that represents the Māori new year.

The artwork’s location is essential. Like Bastion Point, it is Parekōwhai laying permanent claim, amid a housing crisis, to a prime piece of real estate with a replica of the modest homes that were rolled out across the country by a government that made the welfare and safety of its citizens a paramount concern.

There is also the colonial quirk that the state house, architecturally speaking, is a design modelled on the idealised English cottage and transplanted on the other side of the world.

The state house is modelled on the idealised English cottage - British colonisation of New Zealand? 

‘The Lighthouse’ is a state house at the end of Queen’s Wharf. But it’s also Hōne Heke and Joe Hawke. Hōne Heke choped down the British flag pole (my own prior knowledge from primary/intermediate school)

It’s Parihaka, Ōrewa, and The Foreshore and Seabed Act. It’s about being evicted from your home and finding ways to survive, whether in 1880 or now. And it’s about reclaiming what little of your land you can, then making the people who took it in the first place look at you, and confront what they’ve done

Parekōwhai might be a jester, but his job isn’t to entertain you, please you, or make something pretty. You do, however, have to respect it, because it has just as much right to be standing on the end of that wharf as you do.

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

When standing on the end of Queen’s Wharf, it behaves more like a lighthouse and beacon. 

The idea engages with the act of looking. You look into the work, and through the work, and beyond the work to the harbour

Within the interior of house, the only domestic feature that remains is the fireplace. The glow from the installation within suggests our home fires have long been burning and the lights are still on.

‘The English Channel’ speaks of navigation, history and voyaging, deliberation and reflection. 

This made me question about how not only did captain cook voyage to Aotearoa but our ancestors also voyaged using similar star constellations. Why is this only about Captain James Cook? could our ancestors be included in the art piece because its not only Captain James Cook who did voyage?  

How did you come to this reading of the work/s?

I decided to investigate this reading because I felt that since my group has chosen to do Michael Parekowhai, The Lighthouse, 2017, this reading talks specifically about The Lighthouse and its meaning behind the design and how it is relevant to Aotearoa history of Captain James Cook and our Ancestors. For example, the star constellations represent the star navigation our ancestors took on there voyages but also how Captain James Cook voyaged to Aotearoa. 

How does the work/s relate to the concepts of Mana tangata, and whakapapa?

Whakapapa and connection to our ancestral knowledge is mentioned through The Light house art work. It incorporates knowledge from our whakapapa - our ancestors using star knowledge to navigate to Aotearoa. It also talks about how the Artist whakapapas back to the east coast and not from Ngāti Whātua. Michael is working with different Iwis because of the location. Michael said “It’s fortunate that ‘The Lighthouse’ sits not on land, but on a wharf above the water. It is the sea that connects the Waitamatā to the East Coast, to the West Coast and encompasses the entire country. Throughout Michael he says “is the most important struggle which our people have faced in many years. And to lose this last bit of ground would be a deathblow to the mana, to the honour, and to the dignity of the Ngāti Whātua people.” This shows how he has honoured the mana and power of the people. According to https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/3437 the word mana means “power and status accrued through one's leadership talents, human rights, mana of people.”

What other recent events, concepts or contexts can you connect them to?

As mentioned above during the reading it talked about how some of the neon stars related to our knowledge of navigation, but also to do with the event of the Treaty of Waitangi, although this is not a recent event, it still shares importance with us today and our history. It also overall connects to Captain James Cook and the event of colonising New Zealand. The big statue is him sitting down with neon collations surrounding him. Also The Lighthouse is designed to modelled on the idealised English cottage and transplanted on the other side of the world. Therefore has involved more in-depth of the colonisation of British and New Zealand state houses. 

"Artefact", by Dame Anne Salmond, series 1, episode 1, Maori Television, Monday 7th May 2018. https://www.maoritelevision.com/shows/artefact/S01E001/artefact-series-1-episode-1 

Byrt, Anthony (Pākehā). "State house rules: Michael Parekōwhai's sculpture is Auckland's new best thing". Metro, 7 February 2017.

John C Moorfield, Te Aka Online Māori Dictionary 2020 https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/3437 

The Lighthouse, Auckland Live, : Michael Parekōwhai's sculpture https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/the-lighthouse. 

[astromeki]

Rent a motorhome Auckland

In our camper highlight tour New Zealand you will learn why you should venture adventurously over a suspension bridge, watch a geyser from a helicopter and not collect jade stones. Did you know that New Zealand was recently added to the Club of Geological Continents? Especially in high season it is important to send a reservation in advance so that it is certain that the space really still has space for the motorhome. For many New Zealand tourists from Germany, a visit to Hobbiton, the film set of the movie saga Lord of the Rings, is a must. In contrast to summer, camper prices are significantly cheaper. There are not so many tourists anymore, the islands are very pleasant to travel. It is nice and warm everywhere, you can go swimming and enjoy the time outdoors.

Beach lovers should definitely drive the RV north-west towards Great Exhibition Bay, because the Ninety Mile Beach is worth seeing. But there are also some nature parks to the southeast of Auckland. Other well-known associations include the Family Parks Association and Kiwi Holiday Parks. All of these pitches offer you electricity, sanitary facilities, laundry facilities and even WiFi. Depending on the location and equipment, you will find parking spaces for two people and a camper from NZD 25 per night. Where can you camp "wild"? How much is the diesel tax for RVs?

Rent a RV in New Zealand - the new zealand motorhome best way to see Aotearoa

The area also offers a lot of challenges for sports freaks. Rainbow Mountain and the Te Ara Ahi Thermal Cycle Trail offer unforgettable outdoor experiences. Rafting is possible in Kaitiaki Adventures Park on Lake Rotorua and an absolute recommendation. With our CamperDays portal, we also help you to quickly and easily find the right motorhome offer for your trip. With the comprehensive price comparison, we take into account the most renowned motorhome rental companies worldwide and compare the most important rental criteria clearly and transparently.

A transaction fee of 2.0% will be charged.

There are currently no New Zealand competitions taking place, but check out our social media pages to keep up to date to stay.

In this case, the best way to travel is by bus.

At 328 meters, it is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.

Because then you can rent the camper, for example, on the North Island and return it on the South Island.

There is simply nothing better than a 6 bed motorhome if you want to explore New Zealand with the whole family. The motorhome is not only easy to drive, with the surprisingly diverse interior you can also feel at home in this vehicle. The fully equipped kitchen including microwave, shower, toilet and heating or air conditioning leave nothing to be desired for the whole family. Motorhome rental in Auckland - private and cheap!

How does MotorHome Republic work?

Learn more about the Maoris in Rotorua - in the cultural heart of New Zealand on the North Island. The South Island also has a lot to offer with its New Zealand Alps, whale watching in the wild or take a helicopter flight on the Franz Josef Glacier. The cities of Auckland, Christchurch or Queenstown are excellent starting points for your motorhome tour. The 4 bed motorhome based on the Fiat is equipped with all the comforts you need for a vacation in New Zealand.

What is the climate like in New Zealand?

18 hours, 45 minutes in the air: this is the new longest non-stop flight in the world. The newest longest flight is over the Pacific and will have a length of around 15,335 kilometers. Singapore Airlines announced the longest non-stop flight in the world this morning.

You can end your trip on the beautiful beach of the Oriental Bay. The daily performances of Maori culture in the Auckland Museum are absolutely worth seeing! Goose bumps are a guarantee, especially with the haka, often interpreted almost exclusively as a war dance, but actually also with a mixed cast to greet guests. You can always admire that haka on TV whenever the New Zealand national team - the All Blacks - has a rugby game. Since New Zealand is generally crazy about sports, you can have a fantastic and funny time in every pub in Auckland.

[siantlark-blog1]

Asian Anarchist, Anti-colonial and Anti-Authoritarian Reading List

Note: This was originally just a reading list that wasn’t started by me. The project eventually got abandoned and I remembered it recently, so I’m posting it here instead of Google Docs so more people can actually use it. I tried to clean it up a little but I’m too lazy to take away a bunch of the idiosyncrasies and asides that accumulated. Whatever could be found online (for free) is listed, whatever couldn’t is listed with the place to buy the book in question. Also I don’t use Tumblr so I have no clue if this will like delete itself or anything. Oh and Anti-Authoritarianism and Anarchism are used interchangeably, and things that really shouldn’t be considered anarchism (Indigenous Resistance to states and modern society for example) is listed because honestly more people need to know about it anyways.  Share this if you want, it was rotting away on some godforsaken corner of the internet anyways, it needs sunlight. 

Global Anarchism

Non-Western Anarchisms, Rethinking the Global Context (Jason Adams)

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia by James C. Scott  (Libgen link to The Art Of Not Being Governed here)

Bibliography of Western Language Publications on Asian Anarchism  (Compiled by: Eef Vermeij / 2nd draft, August 2015)

Anarchism A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas  (Compiled by Robert Graham)

Pan-Asian Struggles and Solidarity & General Anarchism

Building a Non-Eurocentric Anarchism in Our Communities: Dialogue with Ashanti Alston (Institute of Anarchist Studies)

Legacy to Liberation: Politics and Culture of Revolutionary Asian/Pacific America edited by Fred Ho

Against Communism, Against Capitalism: The New Asian Revolution by Anonymous

Asian Anarchism: China, Japan, Korea, India

Leftism in East Asia

Chinese Anarchism

The Chinese Anarchist Movement by George T. Yu and Robert Scalapino (The Anarchist Library)

What Women Should Know About Communism by He Zhen 何殷震(PDF)

Towards an Anarchist History of the Chinese Revolution by Andrew Flood

He Zhen and Anarcho-Feminism in China by Peter Zarrow (PDF)

The Individual in Early Chinese Anarchism: Feminism and Utopianism in the Tianyi (Natural Justice) by Ole Fossgård  

Anarchism and Chinese Political Culture by Peter Zarrow

Shifu, Soul of Chinese Anarchism by Edward S. Krebs

Anarchist Publications of the May Fourth Era by Daniel SS Cairns

Chinese American Anarchism (+ Ungovernability?) (Asian American Anarchism)?

Chinese Anarchists in the U.S. by syndicalist (libcom.org)

The Equality Society: Chinese Anarchists in the 1920s USA by Mitchell Landsberg (anarkismo.net)

Anarchism in Hong Kong

An account and critique of the 1970s Hong Kong libertarian socialist group 70s Front by Ken Knabb (libcom.org)

Anarchism in Japan

A Brief History of Japanese Anarchism

Anarchist Opposition to Japanese Militarism, 1926-37 by John Crump (flag.blackened.net)  

The Anarchist Movement in Japan, 1906-1996 by John Crump (The Anarchist Library)

E-texts of Shusui Kotoku’s works in Japanese

Against the God Emperor: The Anarchist Treason Trials in Japan by Stefan Anarkowic (AK Press)

The Labor Movement in Japan by Sen Katayama

1868-2000: Anarchism in Japan (libcom.org)

A Unique Tradition of Materialism in Japan by Katsuhiko Endo

Anarcho-syndicalism in Japan: 1911 to 1934 by Philippe Pelletier

Bakunin and Japan (An history of Bakunin, Osugi Sakae, and Anarchists in Japan) (Libcom.org)

ZENGAKUREN: Japan's Revolutionary Students  A collection of essays and histories translated from the original Japanese.

Uprising: Music, youth, and protest against the policies of the Abe Shinzo government (Asia-Pacific Journal)

Monster of the Twentieth Century: Kotoku Shusui and Japan’s First Anti-Imperialist Movement by Robert Thomas Tierney (Contains both a history of Shusui’s works and an actual translation of Shusui’s Imperialism)

Anarchism/Leftism in Korea

Chronology: The Pre-War Korean Anarchist Movement

The Story of the Korean Anarchists and the Anarchist Revolution in Manchuria, 1929-1931 by Eric Every

The Korean Anarchist Movement

Anarchism in Korea: Independence, Transnationalism, and the Question of National Development, 1919-1984 by Dongyoun Hwang (2016)

Who Was Yo Un-Hyung? by Lee Wha Yang (Part II here)

Gwangju and the Paris Commune  by George Katsiaficas on grassroots and decentralized uprisings.

Leftism in the Pacific

Imminent Rebellion 9 - An anarchist journal from the South Pacific

How the Polynesian Panthers Changed Our World

The Anarchist Confederation of Oceania

Anarchism in Tonga

Tonga - (libcom)

Anarchism in Samoa

The Mau Movement - (sidenote: bummed this blog is no longer active.)

Anarchism in New Zealand

Anarchism.nz

Interview with Sam Buchanan in Aotearoa New Zealand (Alpine Anarchist)

Women in the Polynesian Panthers Legacy - Paving the Way

Rabble Rousers and Merry Pranksters: A History of Anarchism in Aotearoa/New Zealand From the Mid-1950s to the Early 1980s by Toby Boraman (2008)

“It’s Not Black and White - It’s Blurry”: An Interview with Teanu Tuiono

Tino Rangatiratanga and Capitalism by Teanu Tuiono (Whenua Fenua Enua Vanua)

The Evolution of Contemporary Maori Protest

Leftism in South East Asia

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia by James C. Scott (Libgen link to The Art Of Not Being Governed here)

Repelling States: Evidence from Upland Southeast Asia 

Anarchism/Leftism in the Philippines

The Age of Globalization by Benedict Anderson

About anarchist history in the Philippines (libcom)

An Archipelagic Confederation by Bas Umali

Gasera Journal - A oneoff publication by anarchist inspired activists in the Philippines. Articles are a mix of Tagalog and English.

Suspended Apocalypse: White Supremacy, Genocide, and the Filipino Condition - by Dylan Rodriguez

Cordilleran Resistance to the Philippine government

Macli-ing Dulag

Anarchism in Indonesia

Anarchism in Central Java, Indonesia - an interview with local anarchists by a WSM supporter travelling in the region (Workers Solidarity Movement)

A 2010 interview with Indonesian anarchists about the anarchist movement

Anarchism in Cambodia

Cambodia: Anti-Colonial Protest 1863 - 1945 (Blackwell Ref. Library.)

Anarchism in Vietnam

In the Crossfire: Adventures of a Vietnamese Revolutionary by Ngo Van, trans. by Hélène Fleury and Ken Knabb (eBook) (Libgen link to In the Crossfire here)

Anti-colonial Religious Movement In Vietnam

Early History of Vietnam - Anti-Colonial Struggle

The Anti-Colonial Movement in Vietnam

Phan Boi Chau & Dong Du

Anarchism in Thailand

Political Unrest in Thailand (libcom)

Class Struggle for Democracy in Thailand (Naked Punch)

Anarchism in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: Police raid Anarchist space 

Leftism in South Asia

South Asian Anarchism: Paths to Praxis (Attack the System)

Revolutionary Lives in South Asia: Acts and Afterlives of Anticolonial Political Action (Routledge, Google Books)

Anarchism in India

The Gulabi Gang (Utter Pradesh, North India) (Shades of Brown)

Har Dayal’s Writings in Punjabi

Decolonizing Anarchism: An Antiauthoritarian History of India’s Liberation Struggle by Maia Ramnath

Decolonizing Anarchism: An Interview with Maia Ramnath (Institute for Anarchist Studies)

Dalit Theology and Christian Anarchism

Anarchism in Pakistan

News of Anarchism - Pakistan (Scribd)

Anarchists of Pakistan (Facebook guh)

The Pakistani Experiment in Anarchism (dawn.com)

[notstatschat]

Haere mai, statistical computing folks.

Later this year, Auckland is hosting the Asian regional meeting of the International Association for Statistical Computing.  For the benefit of conference-goers, here’s a brief introduction to the locale. 

Nomenclature:

The Owen G. Glenn Building (OGGB, or building 260, in university abbreviations) is named after Owen G. Glenn. He’s a New Zealand businessman and philanthropist. 

Auckland is named after George Eden.  The subantarctic Auckland Islands were not named after George but after his father William Eden.

New Zealand is named after the Dutch province of Zeeland; the lack of resemblance is quite striking.

Formally,(Actually It’s more complicated) the country is Aotearoa New Zealand, with Māori and English names of equal status. The city has a Māori name, Tāmaki Makaurau, but its primary name is the English one.

The Māori language (te reo Māori) is fairly easy to pronounce roughly right. The consonants are the same as in Western European languages (or pinyin), except that ‘wh’ is pronounced /f/. The vowels are pure, as in Spanish or German or Italian. The bars above vowels mean they are about twice as long. There isn’t strong stress on any syllable.

People over 30 who grew up in a place with a Māori name may well use an older, anglicised pronounciation for it, but there’s been a trend away from that. In particular, weather forecasts and airport announcements will typically use something relatively close to the Māori pronounciation.

Mountains

Auckland is full of little pointy hills that look like baby volcanoes. They are baby volcanoes. One of them, Maungawhau/Mt Eden is data(volcano) in R. Every few thousand years, a new one pops up at some unpredictable location in the Auckland area, erupts briefly, and then stops. There’s only a few of these volcano fields around the world — another is the (extinct) Boring Volcano Field in Portland, Oregon. The Auckland one is still active and so is less boring.

The most recent and largest volcano, Rangitoto, is just outside the Waitemata Harbour. There are ferry rides a few times a day, and it’s a nice walk to the top. Parts of Rangitoto are still bare rock, parts are pohutukawa forest, and there’s some areas on the south side that have developed proper soil and a variety of plants.

Auckland Domain, just across the motorway from the conference, is the crater of the closest volcano; Mt Eden is a short bus ride away.

Peoples

New Zealand was the last worthwhile land mass to be settled — about 800 years ago, by Polynesians in big ocean-going canoes. You occasionally see people raising alt-theories of earlier settlement by, eg, Celts, but there’s scientific consensus and fairly wide social endorsement for the view that these people are probably racist whackjobs.

The British arrived in increasing numbers in the early nineteenth century, with the usual consequences — though the Treaty of Waitangi was somewhat more successful than most attempts to negotiate with the British. Recently, the NZ government has settled treaty claims with many iwi (tribes, clans).

At the start of the twentieth century, about one in four residents of New Zealand was an immigrant. The proportion decreased to a minimum of about one in six in the 1940s and has been slowly increasing again. What’s different this time is where the immigrants are from: many are from the Pacific Islands and from Asia.  Auckland, in particular, has about 40%  immigrant proportion,  similar to New York and London. The increase in diversity has gone reasonably well by international standards, but there are certainly some people who aren’t happy with things being different from fifty years ago.  

Plants

The trees with dense, gray-green leaves are pohutukawa. Some of them might be flowering by the time of the conference.  Stylised versions of the red spiky puffs of flowers are starting to displace winter-based symbols for Christmas in Auckland. You’ll probably hear people worrying about myrtle rust, a South American fungus that has recently arrived; no-one knows how much damage it will do.

Many of the conifers you see are native: rīmu, tōtara, kauri, kahikatea (native plants are typically known by their Māori names). The things like enormous fake Christmas trees are Araucarias; not native but regional — A. heterophylla, ‘Norfolk Pine’ from Norfolk Island and A. columnaris, ‘Cook Pine’, from New Caledonia.  There are also two conifers from the Monterey area of California: “radiata” (Pinus radiata) and “macrocarpa” (Cupressus macrocarpa). They grow much more vigorously here.

The Dr Seuss trees looking like bunches of grass on top of tall trunks are Cabbage Trees (Cordyline australis). The name comes from the edibility of the new stem and the roots, rather than their appearance.

Tree ferns are native; the Waitakere hills to the west of Auckland are packed full of them. They’re culturally important: the major women’s professional sports teams are named after them, and the unfolding fern frond (the ‘koru’) is a widely-used symbol of growth.

Kauri are massively huge living-fossil conifers that used to be common in Auckland and points north. Sadly, a lot of the nearby ones were turned into houses, and they grow slowly. Some of the ones on the west side of Northland (day-trip distance) are almost as big as redwoods (Sequoiadendron).

New Zealand Flax is known and loved and/or hated by gardeners around the warm temperate world. It was a traditional fibre source, and the nectar was used as a sweetener.  It’s not related to the `true’ flax of the northern hemisphere; it’s a lily.

Birds

New Zealand is famous for its weird native birds. The ones you see around you in Auckland mostly aren’t them.  You can easily see a lot of stupidly-introduced English birds: sparrow, starling, pigeon, blackbird, thrush, chaffinch, goldfinch. The cute urban parrots are Australian, as are the magpies and the tiny green silvereyes. The leggy blue and black pūkeko are ‘courtesy natives’ — they arrived before Europeans but after Māori — but they are the same species as the ones all over Europe and Asia. The large black gulls actually are a native species, but the differences would only matter to another gull.

You might, in the parks near the University, see the kererū, the big native pigeon. It’s about twice the size of the feral pigeons, and colored purple, green, and white.  There’s a few fantails (pīwakawaka) around, which are very cute.

There’s one common, distinctive, native bird. If you walk past a tree that sounds as if it’s full of old 28k dial-up modems, you have met the tūī. They’re about the size of a blackbird, with a puff of white feathers at the throat, and they’re boisterous, musical, and give the impression of being slightly drunk.

If you want to see more native birds, the day trip to Tiritiri Maitangi Island is highly recommended. You still won’t see kiwi (they are brown, shy, and nocturnal, so are essentially unobservable) but you will likely see saddlebacks and kākāriki and black robins and hihi and bellbirds and kēreru and maybe kōkako and takahē.

Death Rays from Space (update) 

Auckland has a relatively mild climate, since it’s surrounded by water, but we’re the same distance from the equator as Las Vegas or the Greek islands.  There’s also less continental dust in the atmosphere here than a lot of places. It is surprisingly easy to get badly sunburned. 

Foods

The best-value inexpensive food in central Auckland is in Asian restaurants, and particularly in Asian food courts. Non-foodcourt examples especially worth mentioning are Selera (Malaysian, in Newmarket) and Chom Na (Thai, downtown). Another inexpensive option is fish and chips, which is as good here as anywhere in the world: it’s worth paying extra for snapper if it’s fresh. A lot of pubs also have reasonable food.

The best Indian food is in Sandringham, about 6km south, but there are some good places at the top of the hill, along K Rd (Satya, in particular)

Mexican food is not recommended: it tends to be either bad or expensive. Pizza mostly isn’t great (with a few exceptions). Otherwise, any restaurant that can survive in Auckland is unlikely to be terrible.

At the higher priced end of the market, there are a number of good restaurants on Fort St. Ima does family-style Israeli food very well. Indochine Kitchen is Vietnamese, a bit noisy but good flavours.  Beirut is posh Lebanese. Cassia is modern Indian food and was the Restaurant of the Year last year. There are lots of well-regarded places in Ponsonby that I don’t know much about.  

At the top: for high-end French-style food, The Grove is really excellent; I’ve heard good things about The French Café, but have never been there; Grand Harbour does Hong Kong-style seafood and is by acclaim the best Chinese restaurant in the country, but I’m not really qualified to judge whether it’s worth it. The revolving restaurant on the SkyTower is expensive because it revolves; unlike some revolving restaurants it does actually have good food.

Finally, Giapo, on Fort St, does absolutely over-the-top decorated locavore gelato. You have never seen anything like it.

[evelynsmusings]

Head Northbound in New Zealand (Have Halal Will Travel Article)

REASONS TO HEAD NORTHBOUND IN NZ THIS 2019

New Zealand, with its breath-taking natural sights and equally marvellous towns and cities, is a photographer’s dream true come.

Spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, rolling hillsides, volcanic plateau, miles of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches – the list goes on. New Zealand is widely known as having the most amazing landscapes in the world; separated by two islands, each with its own unique charm.

However, if you want to explore a warmer climate with hot springs, mud pools, and white-sandy beaches, explore Maori culture, venture through larger cities, and enjoy more cosmopolitan comforts, the North Island is for you.

Here are three reasons New Zealand’s North Islands should be at the top of your travel bucket list this 2019!

Credit: Giphy

Are ewe ready for this?

 1.   The incredible Culture of New Zealand

For a small country (much like its national bird), New Zealand sure has a big personality. There is a lot that goes into the make-up of the unique Kiwi culture – being heavily influenced by multi-ethnic migration and the cultural input of the indigenous Maori people.  

 Credit: @laurao_travels on Instagram

 The culture of New Zealand affects the nature, temperament, language and arts of the citizens of the land – it’s important for one to at least know a few things about their culture and traditions. One great way to do is to visit their many cultural sites – try Whakarewarewa at Rotorua.

Credits: @allthelivelongday on instagram

Explore and experience Maori Culture at Whakarewarewa (try saying that 10 times) – the living Maori village. They provide hourly tours through the Maori village where you can immerse yourself in their incredible history (and maybe their mud baths)! The guided tours are entertaining and informative with a focus on giving everyone an understanding of the Maori history, culture and how the villagers live in the challenging Whakarewarewa Geothermal field.

Here’s a little extra; the full name of Whakarewarewa actually “Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao,” meaning, The gathering place for the war parties of Wahiao.

Address: Whakarewarewa The Living Maori Village, 17 Tryon Street, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua Central, Rotorua, 3010, New Zealand

Opening hours: 8.30am - 5.00pm (Closed Christmas Day)

How to get there: 10 minutes from Rotorua Airport or 5 minutes from Rotorua Bus Terminal

 Visiting a traditional Maori village is not the only way to immerse yourself with New Zealand’s rich culture. How about celebrating the Matariki Festival? Otherwise known at the Maori New Year, the Matariki Festival is a celebration of Maori culture, language, spirit and people.

Credit: matarikifestival

To celebrate Matariki in Auckland, many significant public buildings and landmarks, including the Auckland Museum, Sky Tower and Viaduct Harbour, will be lit with orange lights. This annual event in Auckland also celebrates with art workshops and displays, flax weaving, kapa haka performances, music, movies and many other events.

Here’s how it goes down: to mark the beginning of the festival, a Matariki dawn karakia (prayer) service will be held at Tāwharanui Regional Park with the participation of local kaumātua (Maori elders) who will recite ancient karakia and lead traditional chants and contemporary waiata (song). 

Credits: @hauitichick on Instagram

More than 100 events will be running across the Auckland region during the Matariki Festival celebrating Maori culture, art, entertainment, and food!

Address: Various locations

Opening hours:

Fri 29 Jun 2018, 10:30am

Sun 29 Jul 2018, 12:00pm

Admission: Free

Website: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2018/matariki-festival/auckland/great-barrier-island#none

New Zealand’s culture is not limited to just the Maori people – they have an iconic festival called Pasifika Festival, where they bring together Pacific Island communities to celebrate the diverse cultures of the South Pacific!

Credits: noted.co

 The festival is free for everyone, with authentic foods, arts and crafts stalls and demonstrations, traditional and contemporary Pacific Island music as well as amazing performances. Try Maori nail art at the Aotearoa village, check out traditional Fijian costumes and accessories, see how artisans from Tokelau use time-honoured techniques to create fishing lures from shells, and enjoy dancing and drumming from around the Pacific.

Credits: @masterfoodsampler on Instagram

Address: Western Springs Park, 731 Great North Rd

Opening hours: Saturday 23 March 9am – 7pm (all villages will close at 5pm with the festival stage continuing to 7pm) and Sunday 24 March 10am – 4pm

Website: https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/show/pasifika-festival

 2.   The amazing sights of North Island

 New Zealand is known for a lot of natural wonders and crazy Instagram-worthy locations. People say the South Islands have the best spots to get the best scenic views – but let’s beg to differ! The North Islands has its own extraordinary swoon-worthy locations.

Starting with an upcoming festival that will fill your camera with phenomenal shots of hot air balloons - Balloons over Waikato is another one of New Zealand’s free large-scale events! You’d need to be an early bird though to see these beautiful and exotic hot air balloons fill the dawn sky of the Waikato.

Credits: balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz

 New Zealand's premier hot air balloon festival, Balloons over Waikato is held annually in Hamilton. This five-day icon event it is arguably the most popular event in the city. It attracts balloonists from all over New Zealand and around the world, to come by and experience the fun.

Credits: balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz

 Just imagine, beautiful hot balloons that fill the air - fill your Instagram with these magnificent shots – be prepared to have nothing but comments about where you took it!

 Address: At Innes Common & University of Waikato

Opening hours: Tuesday 19th - Saturday 23rd March 2019

Website: https://balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz/

  A Mecca for film fans who travel from far and wide, the Hobbiton Movie Set sits within the gentle rolling hills of Matamata - just three hours from Auckland. Wander around the 12-acre set which happens to be filled with hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn and the Party Tree – a dream come true for all Lord of The Rings fans.

Credit: @timeouthomes on Instagram

A living movie set from one of J.R.R Tolkein’s popular movie franchises, Hobbiton is an unparalleled experience that will fully transport you to The Middle Earth.

Credit: @eurasianstar on Instagram

 You will enjoy it even if you are not a Tolkien Fan - the whole area is simply specular, consisting of green rolling hills dotted with cows and sheep, beautiful unique trees and adorable hobbit holes. I mean – just think of the selfie opportunities!

Credit: @benjwashere on Instagram

 Address: Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, 501 Buckland Road, Hinuera, Matamata, Hamilton - Waikato, 3472, New Zealand.

Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Directions: A 2 hour drive from Auckland, or a 1 hour drive from Rotorua.

 Hobbtion is not the only place you can capture beautiful Instagram-worthy moments.

Tongariro National Park is home to the most remarkable mountain scenery around every corner – colouring it rainbow with red craters, vibrant greens and blue lakes. Did you know Tongariro National Park is New Zealand's oldest national park and is a dual World Heritage Site?  

Credits: inafarawayland.com

Start with a gander at the most accessible waterfall in Tongariro – the Tawhai Falls (also known as Gollum’s pool); a mere 20-minute return walk from the roadside. It’s definitely worth the photo stop.

Credit: @jberendtphotography on Instagram

 Prepare yourself for a day-hike at the Tongariro crossing – this hike will take you about 6 to 8 hours and features dramatic landforms, volcanic topography and an assortment of endemic flora and fauna. A veritable playground for avid hikers for sure!

Credit: tongarirocrossing.org.nz

 On this 19.4km hike, you’ll have ample photo opportunities to get the perfect gram. See the Soda Springs – a flat paved boardwalk trail that will start your journey into the eye-gasmic views of the blue lake, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of many reasons why you should not ignore the North Island!

Credits: @status_afk on Instagram

 Credits: Tripzilla

 Tip: Avalanches can occur in Tongariro National Park in any season, but are most common from July through to October, so do some research before going over!

 Address: Manawatu-Wanganui 4691, New Zealand

Opening hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily for Summer and 8:30am – 4:30pm Winter (closed Christmas day)

Getting there: The nearest towns are Taumarunui, National Park Village, Ohakune and Turangi. The small village of Whakapapa is located within the park. Daily national bus services are available to and from Ohakune, Taumarunui, National Park, Whakapapa Village and Turangi.

  3.  Adrenaline junkies, steady your heart

Do you have a need for speed? The thirst for the thrill? The inclination for invigoration? We could go on, but you get the point. If you want the wind in your hair, try these few activities – great for solo travellers and families!

 Ever tried real-life Mario Kart? If you think Singapore’s Sentosa Luge rides are fun, wait till you try New Zealand’s own!

 Credit: @czech.theworld on Instagram

 Skyline Rotorua is the name of this fun park that has numerous activities in addition to luging: there's the Sky Swing, Zoom Ziplines and, the Gravity Park for mountain biking - all accessed via a gondola ride.

Credit: Backpackerguide.nz

Credit: @huiyuan_wen on Instagram

Take the Gondola all the way to the tippy top and you can select from one of three different Luge trails which vary in difficulty! Each luge track is over one kilometre long so there are plenty of twists and turns to navigate - so Tokyo drift your way down!

 1.       The scenic track is a good option for those who want to experience the adventure at their own pace.

2.       The intermediate track is almost 2 kilometres long and includes a tunnel and chicanes, for the more adventurous.

3.       The advanced track is perfect for those wanting a speedy, exciting ride with tight corners.

 Address: 185 Fairy Springs Rd, Rotorua

Opening Hours: 9am till late Website: www.skyline.co.nz

Price: NZ45 for Adults, NZ29.50 for Children

 Remember those hamsters running in small hamster balls? Ever wished you could do the same? Well now you can, and it’s called Zorbing! On top of a million other things to do in Rotorua, zorbing is one you can’t miss out on. Zorbing—where you roll around within a protective air-filled ball— trust me it’s more fun than it sounds.

Credit: Discovernewzealand

Credit: Youtube

 There are apparently many ways to Zorb – wet, dry, zigzag or straight down the hill, there is even something called Zydro Zorbing - which happens to be a cross between a waterslide and a rollercoaster.

Credits: zorb.es

 Climb inside one of the bouncy balls and take a roll down a beautiful grassy hill solo or with your friends! It’s a fun and safe activity for anyone who loves a thrill and will definitely be something new for you to try!

 Address: 149 Western Road, Ngongotaha, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand

Email: info@zorb.com

Website: http://zorb.com/world/rotorua/

Price:  Zydro NZD$45.00 Tandem NZD$40.00.

 You’ve heard of wakeboarding, ski boarding, surfing – now how about sandboarding? Just past Kaitaia, New Zealand’s northernmost town (about a four-hour drive from Auckland), you’ll find the mammoth Te Paki sand dunes, which merge with the well-known Ninety Mile Beach.

Credits: deviatingthenorm

 The Giant Te Puki Sand Dunes reach up 100 metres, with the longest run nicknamed “Devil’s Hook” offering a 350-long metre “surf” down. You can easily do this independently with your own boards or get boards for hire!

Credits: thestar

 The Te Paki sand dunes don’t just attract the thrill seekers anxious to sand board. They are also a remarkable sight to take in while you stand at the foot of them. On a day that has a bit of a breeze, you can stand and watch the dunes change shape right before your eyes. If you do have the energy, then walk up to the top for some amazing panoramic views.

Credits: @ chris.goes.global on Instagram

  Address: 47 Te Paki Stream Rd, Cape Reinga 0484, New Zealand

Opening hours: 24 hours

Price: Free (but rental prices for Goggles NZ$2, Board NZ$15 each)

Directions: From Auckland, take a plane to the Kaitaia Airport, which is a five-minute drive from the Sand Safaris office

 With the overload of sensationalist information and commentary in the media, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. New Zealand is a good opportunity to get away from it all and appreciate the natural world. Every moment can be breath-taking and scenic even if you're sandboarding or taking a hike down while heading to the festival therefore the North Islands has something for everyone!

[redscullyrevival]

The most daring of them all voyaged across the vast ocean to take it. He was a Demigod of Wind and Sea. He was a warrior. A trickster. A shapeshifter who could change form with the power of his magical fish hook. And his name was Maui.

Okay there is just, like, so much to unpack here I’m not even sure were to start! 

I’m going to do my best to divide up all the Māui info as we go along (the majority of which will probably be in the “You’re Welcome” scene) but for now lets just start with trying to understand Māui as a culture hero.

What is a “culture hero”?

If you search wikipedia it will tell you a culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group (cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or discovery. And honestly that’s the bare bones of it, although far less nuanced than the reality such figures play into specific cultural contexts. 

Culture heroes typically act as intermediaries between gods and humans. They test the parameters of existence and the boundaries between reality and the supernatural, and between life and death, in stories about heroic journeys back and forth across these thresholds while conveying the bounties of creation for the benefit of humans. 

Often times a culture group will have one hero test the darkness of creation and death by attempting to gain immortality and another hero who revisits the origins of creation by attempting to ascend into the heavens. 

In the Polynesian pantheon of culture heroes, Māui is the figure who challenges death and Tāwhaki is the one who ascends into the heavens. 

The Māui oral traditions of Polynesia actually span the breadth of Micronesia as well as Melanesia - making Māui the most widely known and oldest culture hero of the Pacific. In fact the geographic distribution of the Māui oral traditions suggests the hero dates all the way back to the early Lapita period between 4000 to 6000 years ago.

Cognates (words similar in sound and meaning because of common ancestry) of the name Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga are found throughout east Polynesia, northern west Polynesia and Micronesia and Melanesia. On Yap in the Caroline Islands at the far eastern end of Micronesia he is called Mo-tik-e-tik. On Hawai’i at the northern point of the Polynesian triangle he is called Māui-ki’iki’i and to the far south in Aotearoa (New Zealand) his names are Māui-mohio, Māui-atamai and  Māui-nukurau-tangata. 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Māui has a lot of names. 

[Image: “Maui Names”, page 30, Vaka Moana, Voyages of the Ancestors: The Discovery and Settlement of the Pacific]

Yeah. 

The versions of Māui from Melanesia and Micronesia display much more significant variations than those within Polynesia, and understandably so, but even among Polynesians almost every group has their own versions of Māui’s exploits, with the notable exceptions of Tuvalu and Rapa Nui (who have none).  

But when taken into account that the myths are spread across 5,000 km from Yap Island in the west to Mangareva in the east and across 4,500 km from the Hawaiian Islands in the north to Aotearoa in the south it is utterly remarkable how great a similarity exists within the various stories of Māui given how much a wide area they have crossed.  

Although the myths about the culture hero Māui were shared on most islands within the whole of Polynesia the greatest development of the myth’s cycle took place in Aotearoa, Hawai’i, Tonga, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands, places that recall this ‘newer’ Māui to be “the discoverer of fire”, “the ensnarer of the sun”, “the fisherman who pulls up islands”, “the man endowed with magic” or “Māui with spirit power” - and is the most influential upon the Māui character found in the film Moana. 

Māui is considered a culture hero because he perfectly meets the criteria for such a mythological being as he is in the overwhelming majority of his tales a benefactor of humans. Māui forces the gods to share their comforts with mankind while never creating anything from nothing. Māui is across Oceania exclusively treated as a transformer, and yes sometimes that’s very literal. We will dive more into Māui’s various depictions as the film goes along but for now let’s remember that he is a transformer in many more ways than one; a shifting entity whose presence indicates humanity experimenting with mortality.

Moana Mamafa Post List under the cut:

Moana Mamafa:

About Project

Introduction

Te Fiti

[wayneooverton]

Where is New Zealand? And other questions you’re too embarrassed to ask

I don’t know why this keeps happening, but New Zealand has been left off a world map. Again.

This isn’t the first time either. In fact, it happens frequently. WTF guys?

There was even a #GetNZOnTheMap campaign to remind people that hey, we’re a tiny but awesome nation down here in the Pacific so please don’t forget about us.

I know, it’s hard to keep up with every country, especially the tiny ones that seem far, far away but I thought this blog had done a decent enough job of helping shed light on what New Zealand is all about for foreigners.

Apparently, there’s still work to do, so let’s get into it.

Is New Zealand Real?

No joke, this is the first auto-fill question that pops up in google after you type “Is New Zealand…”

Yes, it’s real. It’s an actual country with a functioning government and real humans with jobs and lives and hobbies. Population – under 5 million people.

Someone please tell that to Kazakhstan who once detained a Kiwi traveling there because they were skeptical that New Zealand was a real country. Jesus.

Where is it?

New Zealand is an island nation the South Pacific Ocean, about 2,000 km east of Australia across the Tasman Sea.

It’s made up two main islands (North and South Islands, yeah we know, creative) and a few off-shoot smaller islands.

Bottom of the world!

Is it the same as Australia?

No, they are completely separate countries. Please don’t ever ask this in New Zealand if you don’t want to get punched in the face.

Ok, but can you drive to Australia?

Also no. These two countries are separated by 2,000km of open ocean. Definitely not.

Are there any dangerous animals?

No, not really, unless you count humans.

We have no venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions or bitey insects unlike our neighbors across the Tasman.

We do have one species of venomous spiders, the katipō, which is super rare to see. They are quite shy and will probably only bite if being squished. There is no evidence of any deaths due to a katipō bite in the last 100 years so you’re probably safe.

There have been a few, rare spottings of red back and white tail spiders, likely brought over from Australia. Thanks a lot, guys. But again, nothing to worry about, you probably won’t even see them.

What side of the road do they drive on?

In New Zealand we drive on the left side of the road.

If you’re visiting and you have never driven on the left before, you’d do everyone a great favor if you looked up the road code and familiarized yourself with this driving style before coming over.

Roads are different here, they are mountainous, winding, and generally not that great. And dangerous tourist drivers are all too common here.

Is New Zealand a modernized country?

Yes. We have electricity and cars and even the coveted world wide web.

We don’t have central heating though, so I guess it depends on your definition of modernized. (Okay, okay we do have heating but old New Zealand houses are notoriously drafty and poorly insulated.)

Do you have kangaroos?

Negative. We’re happy to keep that drama over in Australia.

Do you have dolphins?

Yes! It’s common to see dolphins all along the coast.

Do you have sharks?

Yes, however, shark attacks are infrequent. Only 12 people have been killed in shark attacks since we began keeping records.

You tend to have sharks when you’re an island nation surrounded by open ocean.

Do you have owls?

I don’t know why this is a frequently search question, but apparently, it is. Yes, we have owls in case you were curious for some reason.

The native morepork or ruru is an owl and it is known for its haunting, melancholic call and is an important creature in Māori culture and it’s the only native owl species left in New Zealand.

Do you have penguins?

Do we ever!

New Zealand is home to more 7 species of penguins: Rockhopper Penguin, Tawaki or Fiordland Penguin, Snares Penguin, Erect-crested Penguin, Yellow-eyed Penguin, White-flippered Penguin and Blue Penguin.

They aren’t as big as the Emperor Penguins you’re probably picturing in your head right now but they are still cute and adorable, and many of them are endangered.

Do you have crocodiles?

Fuck no.

Are there really as many sheep as everyone says?

Yes, we have about 9 sheep to every 1 person in New Zealand. They are cute and adorable when you first get here but like most things, they quickly become commonplace and really not all that interesting.

Springtime here is amazing when all the little lambies are born.

Where is Old Zealand?

The name New Zealand comes from the Dutch word “Zeeland” and was dubbed New Zealand after being spotted by Dutch Explorer Abel Tasman from the Netherlands in 1642.

As you may have guessed Zeeland is a Dutch province in the Netherlands. The Māori name for New Zealand is “Aotearoa” which means land of the long white cloud.

A much cooler name if you ask me.

Do New Zealanders live in Hobbit Holes?

What the hell is this question? Sigh.

Although if you’re Lord of the Ring obsessed, you can visit the original set of Hobbiton and take a tour. Just keep in mind actual, real Kiwis live in actual, real houses.

No one lives in the hobbit holes in Hobbiton. I hate to spoil it, but there is nothing inside, and they’re empty.

Do they celebrate Australia day?

No. Australia celebrates Australia day, and even there it is controversial.

Do they celebrate the Fourth of July?

No. Think of why that holiday was created and then ask yourself why any other country in the world would celebrate that besides America.

Is New Zealand part of the EU?

No. We are not even apart of Europe.

We were once governed by Great Britain but slowly gained our independence and now remain as a colony of Great Britain. Technically, the queen of England is also our queen but we run our parliament completely separate from the Monarchy.

Is it really like what I saw in Lord of the Rings?

I mean I guess?

Scenery wise, it’s just as (if not more) impressive than the movies. Culture-wise? No. Please refer to my earlier answer on living in Hobbit Holes.

When are their seasons?

New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere so they have summer from December through February, autumn from March until May, winter from June until August, and spring occurs from September to November.

It’s basically opposite.

Does the toilet water flush the other way?

I literally have no idea. This is something I’ve never paid attention to. I wouldn’t even know which way the water flushes in the northern hemisphere. Y’all need to get a life.

It’s a small country, I should easily be able to get from the top to the bottom, right?

Technically, sure, depending on your definition of easy.

You can certainly drive the length of the entire country (albeit, you have to put your car on a ferry to get between islands), however, it’s going to take you a while.

By area, New Zealand is slightly larger in size than Great Britain and driving from tip to tip will take you well over 24 hours in a car. The roads are long and crazy, no modern straight highways here.

Does New Zealand have a president?

No, we have a Prime Minister and she’s a certified BOSS.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Lunar New Year!

A post shared by Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) on Feb 2, 2019 at 2:26am PST

Is New Zealand safe?

Yes, super safe.

In spite of the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch, we have a few random spots of crime but compared to the rest of the world, we’re doing okay. Our murder rates have recently hit a 40 year low.

And our boss of a Prime Minister Jacinda has had our gun laws changed in six days to make it even safer.

Is New Zealand expensive?

It really depends on what you think expensive is. If you’re coming to visit and you’re expecting prices on par with SE Asia, yeah, you’ll be in for a shock.

Here are some price points to help give you an idea so you can make your own conclusions: a beer at the pub ($8-10), movie ticket ($18-20), a liter of gasoline ($2.30/liter, $8.50/gallon), an in-season avocado ($2), an out of season avocado ($6.50), a coffee from a coffee shop ($4.50-$5), monthly rent ($800 – $1200/month), a cheap lunch ($10).

Most people consider it fairly expensive, especially kiwis.

What language do they speak in New Zealand?

New Zealand has three official languages:Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, and English.

They tend to mumble when speaking English so even though, yes, technically it is English, it might leave you scratching your head for a hot minute before you figure out what they’re talking about. Kiwi slang is going strong here!

What continent does it belong to?

No continent. New Zealand belongs to Oceania which is a region of the world, not a continent.

A continent is a large land of mass so places in the world (like New Zealand and Hawaii) that do not belong to a continent but rather a region of the world that is dominated by water. Oceania is divided into sub-regions including Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.

New Zealand falls into the subregion of Oceania, Polynesia (as does Hawaii in case you were wondering)

Is it really as magical as it seems?

Yes. But also no, of course not.

New Zealand is doing some amazing things and yeah, sure, it’s stupidly beautiful but at the end of the day, it’s a country, just like yours. We have our own issues and areas for improvement just like any other country. Sure we have postcards worthy landscapes around every corner. But we also have one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world and the runoff and mismanagement by the dairy industry is polluting the country at a rate that’s almost laughable.

Yes, we are planning the use of single-use plastic. But we also have one of the highest rates for family violence in the developed world. What I’m trying to say is, yes it’s a great country but just like any country, we still have a lot of work to do.

People to idealize it here, me included. It’s magical to many but it is imperfect too.

What did I miss? Have any burning questions about New Zealand that you were too afraid to ask? Spill and we’ll reply, though we can’t promise we won’t sass. 

The post Where is New Zealand? And other questions you’re too embarrassed to ask appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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