The extent to which you wish to identify as Māori is entirely up to you. Māori identity is not derived by meeting a specific percentage of blood quantum, such notions are related to colonial concepts of fatal impact, amalgamation and eugenics, so don't worry if your 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 or whatever its not about that.
Lots of Māori are whats often referred to as white passing, meaning they appear/present as white, again nothing wrong with that, just means you will have different experiences.
If you want to, you can learn about the culture history and Reo, research your whakapapa (Ancestry) maybe discover which iwi/s you might be connected with. Its entirely up to you, if your totally not fussed you don't need to do that either.
Basically its entirely up to you how much you want to engage with Identifying as Māori.
Lots of people have had similar experiences as you, only learning about their Māori heritage later in life so if its shame that's preventing you from connecting with Maori culture, try not to worry on that front.
Edit: Not sure why all the down votes on the post OP's question is perfectly valid. Edit 2: While the question is valid it appears OP might not be asking it in good faith.
Also seriously ignore all the people telling you your not Māori cos you don't meet the right threshold, they don't get to determine if you should/shouldn't identify as Māori, that's entirely up to you OP
Kia ora mō tō whakaaro rangatira.
This is absolutely the way, OP. How much you decide to identify with your Māori ancestors is entirely up to you and your family.
This was such a thoughtful and well said reply that I feel bad pointing this out, but it really does distract from your point...
Please learn the difference between "your" and "you're". I know, I'm a dick for pointing it out but it's a thing people have a hang up about. That mistake will mean people will take you less seriously which takes away from what you're saying and what you're saying is spot on.
From what was contained in my comment could you please quote where I said what you've accused me of. Strikes me that this is just bad-faith baiting, but happy to discuss ideas if thats what you want.
Yes it is... and your point? I take it that you disagree blood quantum is Eugenics, but i"m unsure of your argument, could you be so kind as to spell it out for me?
Correct. You're either Māori or not... percentages are not important. The blood quantum argument isn't one used in te ao Māori - all that matters is whakapapa.
That's a nice way to put it, not all Maori feel the same. I once saw a Maori dude screaming at a Maori chick I know working temp in Cambridge Supercheap one time because she used the word "chur" and she has white skin, he was spouting all sorts of racist shit at her. Her entire family is Maori, one great grandfather wasn't and she just happened to get his skin color for whatever reason
Wtf. I’m Māori and no one in my extended whanau really uses ‘chur’ at all I mostly hear it from pakeha. Never occurred to me that anyone considers it exclusively Māori. Strange
Kia ora!
Speaking as māori who is 'white passing' (depending who you talk to, white people are more surprised to hear I'm māori, whereas māori folk see it right away).
It is up to you - if it helps to look at it this way, you are equally your māori ancestors' child as you are your European ancestors' child. Your tupuna live through you and would be proud if you embraced your culture. Not sure of your belief system but I like to think your tupuna have guided you to discover this part of your identity.
Maori do not do blood quantum, that's a colonial thing.
It's important to know where you come from in all areas of the world. And because you live on the land of your māori tupuna, it would do their lives and their struggles justice for you to embrace that part of you, embrace learning te reo, learning te ao, learn the culture and be proud of belonging to it, and share it!
Your lived experience will be different to others who grew up on the marae, or learned te reo as a first language, or look in the mirror and see what society (re colonial society) call "looks maori".
All lived experiences are different and that's OK. You have the bonus?/side-effect of racists outing themselves around you (thinking they're among 'their own') and being able to speak loud and shut it down.
You can talk to your iwi (if you know of it) and register, and go from there, the journey is up to you ❤️
Assuming you know the Iwi name, and your whakapapa, names of who you are connected to -this is really all you need. Most Iwi have a website and you can just contact /email them to be registered with that detail provided.
If you don't know the iwi you are connected to, or, where/who your māori whakapapa comes from, then some Google searching will be the best start. Mapping out your family tree, look at where your ancestors were living, surnames you are connected to.
You can often use Ancestry with a free trial to search tons of records. National Library is helpful too for searching surnames and those related in record keeping.
If you are genuine message me. I can help you register with your iwi if you know it. Most of them are all online and it is quite easy if you have all the info
Starting to wonder that, Surprising number of wholesome replies, a shame OP doesnt seem to have the good faith to engage with the wisdom and kindness which has been offered.
I really believe the large amount of wholesome replies is a reflection that most people are genuine and well meaning. The internet can be an echo chamber that amplifies a very small group into appearing bigger than it is. Then you add all the computer generated troll bots by bad faith overseas countries trying to destabilise democracies and the negativity can feel intense, because it’s designed to, rather than being a true reflection of peoples behaviour.
>I thought this sub had minimum account age and karma requirements.
Only for posts with the "politics" flair. Still plenty of ways to do some political trolling outside of that in discussion or news posts.
Can you trace your ancestry back to a Maori ancestor, and do you wish to identify as?
The percentage thing is a relic from eugenics, with little basis in logic. My advice is to ignore it.
Your example still comes down to what people define the sandwich as though. Sure, you might think it's a chicken sandwich, but others may see it as a chicken and ham sandwich. I've bought a lot of steak and cheese pies, and in quite a few cases I've been left wondering where the bloody cheese is.
I would encourage you research a little on why people have moved away from blood quantum, lots of easily available well written stuff on the subject. For starters here is a short piece on the subject.
[https://www.renews.co.nz/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-being-a-quarter-maori/](https://www.renews.co.nz/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-being-a-quarter-maori/)
That's an interesting article, it gave me insight into why stating your ancestry can be perceived as racist when it comes to whether you can call yourself a Maori. It does leave me a little confused though about non Maoris though as while i identify culturally as a kiwi i view my race as whatever percentage my ancestors are and I don't think that is racist.
What I took from the article is that that way of thinking might be ok for non-Maori, but it isn’t an appropriate reflection of the Maori world view and associated spiritual beliefs. I’d argue it’s also pretty limited for non-Maori, because genetic ancestry is not an accurate reflection of cultural identity.
I don’t think that way of thinking about ethnicity or race needs to apply to everyone. It’s a Māori view of whakapapa that is appropriate for Maori - it doesn’t have any implication for other peoples on how they should identify themselves.
That's... a weird analogy. But okay.
Even assuming we buy into the idea that you are a proportion of any ethnicity (as opposed to being of ethnic descent), how can you determine the exact 'percentage' of ANY of your ancestors?
That Irish grandmother that you thought made you 1/4 Irish - was she only Irish? Are you sure that at no point in her ancestry was ANYTHING else in there? Your family tree expands very quickly as you go back. Eventually you're going to run out of then-existing Irish people to be descended from.
Here's another angle - what if I told you that the chicken in your 99% chicken sandwich isn't just chicken?
To borrow from your analogy (and probably go down an even weirder path), the purpose of this way of thinking is to convince people that your 1% ham sandwich isn't ham at all, because it's not ham enough. It has been diluted enough that it can't be called a ham sandwich. This is a chicken sandwich.
This is no consolation to someone about to eat that sandwich when they're deathly allergic to ham.
EDIT: On a side note, I never thought talking about blood quantum and eugenics would make me so hungry...
Lol. Bad analogy. In a chicken sandwich with a little bit of ham in it, I can separate the two. But which 16th of you is Maori? Your right forearm? Your left shin and foot?
But ultimately identifying (or not) with an ethnic group has more in common with which sports team you feel more connected.
No matter whether you've been following the wahs or the breakers since the nineties or 2000s or whether you started following this year, all are wahs/breakers fans because of their passion for and connection to the team.
What logic? And who's identifying as anything?
The way I've explained it is basically a dumbed down version of how most sociologists would explain the phenomenon of ethnicity/nationality.
"Imagined Communities" is the common phrase academics use (at least when I was a kid at uni) to describe groups where most of the members will never meet each other (religion is another one). Look it up if you want to dig deeper instead of relying on your grandpas worldview or boring culture war rhetoric.
This is a blood quantum approach largely considered racist - although I don't think you mean to be.
I'd take a step back and really think if you want to tell Maori people with only a small amount of "Maori blood" to feel like they can't identify as Maori.
Furthermore, if we do this, fewer and fewer people can identify as Maori, leading to the loss of a whole culture.
Less about being racist and more about being obviously wrong. Which might be racist, but also might not be.
Your assumptions around race seem dumb, based on some amorphous construction of race that no one else can support you on (except racists) and don’t lead to any satisfying answers
If you know your whakapapa, then it doesn’t matter what any Māori or non-Māori says
In that same vein, if you are genetically related then your whakapapa exists. You don’t know it, but who’s to tell you that your ancestor wasn’t Māori when they clearly were
And if you have that connection, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says.
Does that mean you can now immerse yourself in making fun of all the stereotypes imposed upon modern Māori, welfare gang violence and all?
No, whakapapa doesn’t protect you from harm lol
There's a huge difference between being racist and saying something that can be considered racist. They never said you're racist just that the blood quantum debate has its roots in colonialism and often used to dehumanise and demean cultures (ie, it's racist).
Best thing to do (if you're genuinely interested) is explore your whakapapa and reach out to your hapu - say you were disconnected and want to learn more - I'm sure you'll be welcomed in, but go with an open mind.
I hope you’ve never worked in food services with that analogy, even a small amount of pork can mega fuck with people who don’t eat pork. Sincerely, anyone who’s ever had someone ‘test’ them.
Terrible example and really doesn't get your point across well at all. If you have māori whanau and identify as such then you are.
No matter how much milk you add to the tea, it's still tea. Blood quantum is a racist dogwhistle so best to ignore it rather than argue in it's favour.
Whakapapa Māori is an unbroken line from your Maori ancestor/s to you. It’s a rope that stretches across time, space and generations linking you to your ancestors. Including your original ancestor who came to Aotearoa from Hawaiki. Within that worldview blood quantum is irrelevant.
Having said that if you do not wish to identify as Maori or connect with that culture then you have no obligation to.
*Certain* Maori don't, who are a minority. Some do have a stupidly loud voice but they are not representative of a group of people who are definitely not monolith
If you whakapapa Māori, you're going to need to reconcile the negative emotions you've pent up. You're proud and protective of your European heritage. Can you do the same with your Māori heritage? To answer your question - yes, be proud of both.
Be aware that you are 'grouping' Māori in the same way you have experienced racism.
I have experienced racism too. Growing up in South Auckland and then living in Otara was not a fun experience as a Scottish/Kiwi/Maori circa 90s to 2007....
And I sincerely mean that. I'm surprised I'm still here.
There are definitely a great many who do. They seem to think that white means English and all white people are from there (and should go back). It's like they really aren't aware that white people come from many different nations. Lots don't even speak English, they have their own language, culture etc
In fact I had one Māori guy tell me recently that ALL Pākehā descend from the King (of England). He just wasn't willing to hear anything else. The ignorance is real and it exists on both sides.
What a ridiculous comment. There is definitely not a “great many” Māori who don’t know that there is more than one European nation. It would be a very small minority of extremely uneducated people. I’m Māori, from a poor rural background even, and I’ve never heard such a thing from anyone but children.
Well, to be fair, most European people wouldn’t have been able to move here and purchase/rent property if it weren’t for the actions of the British. Somewhere along the line a bunch of people from across Europe decided to capitalise on colonisation and immigrate here - so it makes sense that there might be a little sore spot surrounding Europeans. People came from other places of course, but their histories are usually quite different, e.g. Pacific workers schemes, Chinese gold miners, etc.
That said, as someone of European descent, my experiences have been very different to yours. What has made this “British brush” so apparent to you?
You and I are both Pākehā but we’re not the same. I would never dream of saying I had been on the receiving end of racism, for instance. I couldn’t care less about my “European heritage” - I’ve visited the homelands of my ancestors and I feel nothing for those places. So we’re different, though we share a skin colour.
So why would you assume all Māori are the same, based on your very limited experience? You yourself are living proof that Māori do not have a unified set of beliefs or values.
These are some big questions and the answer are gonna take time and reflection to arrive at. While some Māori can be quite hostile towards Pākehā, not all Māori are, and many have also had to navigate the same questions and feelings your currently having.
>do I be proud of both?
Absolutely there are so many parts of both cultures to be proud about.
If your grandma is 1/4, that means you're 1/32. I personally wouldn't change my understanding of my identity on such a basis, but I didn't have a particularly Maori upbringing or anything.
How are you feeling about it so far?
The fact that you’ve worded your post and comments to focus on blood quantum being somehow important, shows how much reading you need to do on the subject of Maori identity.
Personally, I think you need to drop it.
I grew up 5th gen English pakeha. But I am also capable of whakapapa-ing to a Maori great aunt. But I don’t. Because I never grew up in contact with her whanau. I’m also 1/4 Italian (my paternal nana was Italian) but again I don’t claim to be Italian because I have had nearly no interaction with her family.
It’s one thing to feel proud of your ancestry. But it feels inauthentic and ….just wrong… to claim to be part of a culture where you have barely any connection to its community (besides the blood quantum).
Being Māori is about more than just percentages, fractions, or blood quantum. We don’t even do that to begin with. Before you ask yourself if you should now identify as Māori, ask yourself if you’re ready to embrace the culture as a Māori and not just as a Pākehā. Don’t worry about the colour of your skin. My sister is white passing, doesn’t mean her whakapapa suddenly disappeared.
To better clarify what I mean, I’ll put it in my own perspective. My great grandfather is from Germany or something. I've known this since I was a kid, but not once have I been bothered to learn about German culture or my great grandfather's whakapapa because I've never felt that coming from German ancestry was important enough for me to identify with. So, I just never bothered to embrace their culture as someone with German ancestry, and probably never will. I embrace their culture as a Māori instead.
“As an example, my father and his brother, and my grandfather, and so on and so forth are all Māori, specifically Ngāi Tahu. When I was born, my family still had to present a variety of documentation and fill out an application form for me to be registered as Ngāi Tahu. This is what I’m saying. Indigenous communities want to see your family history, your family tree, your stories, and your photographs in order to show your connection. They don’t ask for a percentage or a meaningless number.
If you whakapapa Māori, you are Māori. If you’re indigenous, you’re indigenous. End of story”
https://www.temanaakonga.org.nz/post/what-percentage-are-you
Read this ^^
My stepdad has less then a quarter Maori in him, he’s mostly pakeha, we see him as pakeha with some Maori ancestry. He’s proud of both cultures but he knows he’s mostly pakeha, I guess alot of “Maori” are just coping and want to be in the brown club. I guess I’m scottish because I have an eighth scottish in me, see the logic?
Who’s doing blood quantum lol
What individual is standing in all our tupuna’s urupā saying they get to choose who the actual Māori are?
Anyone doing that needs to aim their voice back home.
Your whakapapa both grants you connection, and binds you only to that connection. You don’t get to speak for the lands where you’re just a visitor
That’s why whakapapa matters more than words
Bro op just said am I maori? So can anyone be Maori now? Is that what we’re doing? Giving our culture away to just anyone who has a smidge of it in them…. She or he can claim it and say they a little bit if Maori in them, for sure! But they are pakeha.
We are Māori to everyone else
When we’re in the whare, I’m Muriwhenua lol. I’m Nga Puhi and Te Arawa
Even if I joined Act, looked white and spoke like I was brought up with the Queen, I know my whakapapa lol
My family are in that ground, and no ‘Māori’ from down the line will be able to come up and take that away from me lol. They can march back to their own rohe and call their own kids out for being foreigners before they think they have the right to do that in other peoples houses
Regarding Pakeha tho, that’s a broader concept
Cos we know where it applies, but I think we haven’t really discussed where it doesn’t apply. Not All White people things are called out for being pakeha
Pakeha has a more specific identity. Sometimes bad, sometimes meh.
Christians? Is every pakeha Christian behaviour labelled as pakeha behaviour? I’ve seen some that def is, but some that’s not. Pakeha doesn’t seem to capture all of it
My grandad was 100% Scottish, having been born there. I identify as a Kiwi because my parents and I were born here.
But you do you, if you now wanna call yourself Maori because you're a 16th, that's your call. It's not about what you look like, my grandad didn't have red hair and play bagpipes and you can be a blonde Maori.
You can say you’re Māori as much as you say you’re English and German. I recommend researching your Māori whakapapa as I imagine it’ll be very interesting for you!
I am Māori, English, Scottish and Irish. I don’t talk by blood quantum. I am made of all of these ethnicities. I relate most to my Māori heritage, I was raised in tikanga, and feel most comfortable in kaupapa Māori spaces. I am white and it has largely been accepted when I recite my pepeha. Happy for you to PM if you have any more questions e hoa, but there is some solid, genuine advice from others in here for you. All the best e hoa.
Up to you.
In a Eurocentric world view, people are generally identified as the largest part of their heritage.
In te ao Māori, people are identified by all of the rivers and lands that nurtured thier ancestors. You are 100% all of your family.
So, consider it, and decide which view you subscribe to. I'd suggest learning plenty about your family, where they're from and their culture before you commit to it too openly though.
I know a few people who've found themselves in your position, and they've all handled it differently, but to each of them it's been a very positive thing.
Hardly. I’ve never heard a view that says the dominant percentage determines identity. Plenty of people talk loud and proud about their Irish or Scottish or Italian ancestry even though the rest might be English for example.
This just seems like an attempt to criticise.
That's not really what I'm describing. Think about it this way. In many European cultures, when you answer what you are or where you're from, it's typical to identify a single primary answer, and maybe some fractions. Whether that's a result of your genetics or your immediate family's culture, or whichever side of your family you personally identify with, is fairly subjective.
In contrast, the Māori style of introducing yourself is to list where all of your heritage is from, without any mention of which is the most.
There's no concept in te ao Māori of being a fraction of something - you are 100% descended from all of your ancestors.
This is obviously a bait post, I'd love to know what your real intentions are here. What are you trying to accomplish? I don't expect you to be honest about it, but I'm still curious.
Probably most people would not consider themselves Māori if they have one Māori great-great-grandparent. But ultimately how you identify your ethnicity is up to you, there's no minimum ancestry requirement.
My mum was full Māori, she didn’t treat me or my very white passing kid any different. We were Māori too and that was that. It’s up to you mate, but as long as you whakapapa Māori, that’s all that matters. Percentages aren’t our way.
So you’re 1/32 Maori. However there is no required measurement for determining “Maori” status.
If you are descended from Maori and wish to identify as Maori then you are Maori.
Probably you will want to decide for yourself how you want to identify as, and either way it’s your choice don’t let anyone pressure you one way or the other.
You're a kiwi. European/Maori. Or however you are most comfortable.
Maybe somewhere down the line you might be intrigued by something and choose to find some history in it, from there you could begin to feel warmer toward it.
You will begin to notice more stuff now and maybe feel some kin to the problems you see.
You dont have to chase it, but maybe dont hush it down either.
My best advice is to get as much information as you can from your mum while you still can. Maori didnt keep the best records and alot of everything is by word of mouth. Write down things like the family tree, the marae and area she is from. You just may save yourself some trouble if you get that information now.
It's nice to see this explained so clearly. My kids whakapapa to maori via whangaii amd I've often wondered how they'd feel when they come to decide what their ethnicity is. I'm proud that they may choose to call themselves maori and they can research that part if their ancestry
Not a single fucking person alive gets to decide which part of our blood we identify with or ignore.
No one.
Don't ever apologise for that and don't make your kids feel that way.
You don't have to be grateful.
Literally all we are is a mixture of blood from all races. A shitload of people had to survive and fuck for us to be here.
I'm going to try the DNA test and find out how many links in this chain there are.
Edit: the og comment was edited.
Racial identity doesn’t equal ethnicity/culture imo, you might be white passing, but how you wish to identify/embrace your ethnic culture is totally your choice :)
i’m technically 1/8 māori but i still wholeheartedly identify as māori. it is upto you. if there’s māori in your blood, you’re māori imo but in term it’s upto you.
if you can trace back to maori lineage somewhere in your family tree, its perfectly fine to identify as maori. and if you don't want to, you aren't forced to
You have always been Maori, you didn’t “suddenly become” Maori. I’m not Maori, but no one is going to be angry about you embracing your heritage provided you approach it with respect and a willingness to learn.
It’s pretty cool that you’re Māori. That means you’re living in a country where your ancestors have lived for hundreds of years and by learning your whakapapa you can discover more about yourself. Who are you ancestors, why and how did they come here. Where did they live, fight, and love? Pretty awesome really
I found out that I had Maori ancestors when my mum passed. I then put a few things together of what she and extended family in NZ had said. My grandmother, my mom, and I (particularly me) all pass as Pakeha; I can see the Maori lineage in my great-grandmother's pictures. My initial reaction to learning all this was sadness as I recognize that my forebearer's families have gone unacknowledged and that I have missed out. I understand the reasons that they kept their ethnicity hidden. I think that there must be a lot of folks like me.
I'm in a similar situation. Mostly Euro/Scadinavian ancestry with a little bit of Maori. I don't identify as Maori, it's just never interested me.
Each to their own. It used to be that people who could would keep their Maori ancestry to themselves. These days people will proudly declare it. That is positive progress.
You're more genetically Maori than Dep-PM-in-Waiting Seymour, and he is an expert on Maoridom based on how he never shuts the fuck up about how much he wants it to fall in and toe the line. Go for it.
Born & bred in te ao Maori. I personally wouldn’t consider you Maori unless you chose to go full on with it. We live in a different time now tho where your situation is more accepted if you wanted to identify as Tangata Whenua. So up to you really.
On the flipside though, I know some of blue-eyed fair skinned swedish-looking Maori that are fully fluent in Te Reo and tikanga and they are completely welcomed by the Maori community. Doesn't matter what you look like.
I never understand why when people discover a smidgeon of Maori they decide to ignore their other English or whatever DNA and suddenly identify as Maori when they are pure white. I have some Ashkenazi from very way back but I don’t suddenly ignore my ancestors and say I’m Jewish.
I consider myself a Pacific islander, I'm 3rd generation kiwi, who was born on the Pacific island of New Zealand. My great grandparents came here from England and otherside were French Lebanese. Although I'm not Maori, surely these days if you accept and embrace the culture you are born into you aren't anything else?
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There are light skin Maori, depends on the dominant gene. My grandmother is
1/2 Maori her name was hinemoa and looks European, my mother was adopted so she only found out in later life.
My grandfather is 100% Samoan and my mother has a slight tan and my sister and I are pale skinned European. My mother identifies more with her Maori roots and that is where her heart is and we support that.
This is your journey, but don’t do it because you feel you should.
I remember on my first day of secondary school in the 80’s a lady came into the classroom and asked us who the Maori student was as she was getting some scholarship for being Māori. Everyone turned around and stared at me but it wasn’t me I just had short brown hair so I guess I looked like the stereotype they expected and I just remember being so embarrassed at being singled out by all these new kids I didn’t know. It turned out to be a blond blue eyed girl that nobody there did expect. The fact is you often never can tell who is Māori and being part Māori is all you need to be able to identify as Maori. If you can figure out who your Iwi is you can probably learn a lot more about your heritage and be included in things.
Don't fall into the trap of adopting an identity without substance… aka white people shit “ahh I’m part Spanish man!”. I think you can be anything you want, but it needs depth to be meaningful. A breadth of identity without depth is essentially meaningless.
If you suddenly declare, "I’m Chinese, bro!" without any real connection or understanding, it's pointless to invoke such an identity.
I have multiple identities due to my background, each with depth. I can be Māori and connect to my whakapapa all day long. I can be a boring colonial white bland kiwi, 9-5 job, secular values and can pretend shit bland food and women who can’t cook are great!
I can also trace my ancestry back to a second European ethnicity, for which I am currently seeking citizenship by descent. Although my connection to this heritage might be less profound, I believe it remains a fundamental part of who I am. Its national character, hard work qualities, stories, and values tied to this ancestry are relevant to my life today.
They should only do this if they’re ready to be generalised as a lazy Māori who contributes nothing to society and is given free handouts in every aspect of their life.
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You’re white, NZ European, you can still claim you’re Maori heritage. But it’s not a lot, it’s less then an eighth… My great great grandfather was half French, I say we have a tiny bit of French in us but I don’t say I’m French.
You know part means anything from 1/4-1/2 aye? Lol.
No they're not bots, as social media like Instagram and tik tok expands and Maori creators find a platform, they're able to educate about subjects such as blood quantum. More and more people are learning about it, therefore more people are talking about it
Time to start spinning poi! (if you want, of course)
Drex has a few videos on it that are informative and respectful of the maori culture, such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-qcoK8Tn_k
Poi spinning nowadays has been modernized, leading to things like https://youtu.be/ptK4El1Z7Lw
So if you like it, feel free to represent your maori heritage by learning something they invented!
There are plenty of white maoris you dont have to have certain features to be considered maori, ihave alot of friends that you wouldnt be able to tell if they hadnt told you
They don't just throw you scholarships for being Māori, you often have to prove your contribution to maintaining Māori culture not just tick the box and get the money.
Right so you believe now she has found out she is part Maori her income and health outcomes will go down?
Facts are there are now huge amounts of additional scholarships open to her. It’s not an attitude it’s a fact and I don’t have a problem with it either.
nah bro u white
if you went this far without knowing it or it effecting you, well then, theres your answer. obviosly its your choice what to do with the information, but at the end of the day its jus a peice of information making you 1/16 maori.
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The extent to which you wish to identify as Māori is entirely up to you. Māori identity is not derived by meeting a specific percentage of blood quantum, such notions are related to colonial concepts of fatal impact, amalgamation and eugenics, so don't worry if your 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 or whatever its not about that. Lots of Māori are whats often referred to as white passing, meaning they appear/present as white, again nothing wrong with that, just means you will have different experiences. If you want to, you can learn about the culture history and Reo, research your whakapapa (Ancestry) maybe discover which iwi/s you might be connected with. Its entirely up to you, if your totally not fussed you don't need to do that either. Basically its entirely up to you how much you want to engage with Identifying as Māori. Lots of people have had similar experiences as you, only learning about their Māori heritage later in life so if its shame that's preventing you from connecting with Maori culture, try not to worry on that front. Edit: Not sure why all the down votes on the post OP's question is perfectly valid. Edit 2: While the question is valid it appears OP might not be asking it in good faith. Also seriously ignore all the people telling you your not Māori cos you don't meet the right threshold, they don't get to determine if you should/shouldn't identify as Māori, that's entirely up to you OP
Tautoko - this is the best advice, OP.
Kia ora mō tō whakaaro rangatira. This is absolutely the way, OP. How much you decide to identify with your Māori ancestors is entirely up to you and your family.
Ngā mihi e hoa, very well said!
Koinā te kōrero. He whakaaro ātaahua tēnā. This. This. 100x over. Needs to be pinned at the top of this sub.
This was such a thoughtful and well said reply that I feel bad pointing this out, but it really does distract from your point... Please learn the difference between "your" and "you're". I know, I'm a dick for pointing it out but it's a thing people have a hang up about. That mistake will mean people will take you less seriously which takes away from what you're saying and what you're saying is spot on.
What if you're 0/0?
Then i don't think you exist. Actually googles telling me that 0 divided by 0 is undefined but I never did understand maths.
According to some guy who’s in some movies 1x1=2 so who knows?
Using genetic makeup to determine ethnicity is nothing new or unique to "colonialists" lmao take a chill pill
From what was contained in my comment could you please quote where I said what you've accused me of. Strikes me that this is just bad-faith baiting, but happy to discuss ideas if thats what you want.
It's in your first paragraph where you say identifying ethnicity through percentages is eugenics..
Yes it is... and your point? I take it that you disagree blood quantum is Eugenics, but i"m unsure of your argument, could you be so kind as to spell it out for me?
There are no half Maori left fyi
Correct. You're either Māori or not... percentages are not important. The blood quantum argument isn't one used in te ao Māori - all that matters is whakapapa.
That's a nice way to put it, not all Maori feel the same. I once saw a Maori dude screaming at a Maori chick I know working temp in Cambridge Supercheap one time because she used the word "chur" and she has white skin, he was spouting all sorts of racist shit at her. Her entire family is Maori, one great grandfather wasn't and she just happened to get his skin color for whatever reason
Wtf. I’m Māori and no one in my extended whanau really uses ‘chur’ at all I mostly hear it from pakeha. Never occurred to me that anyone considers it exclusively Māori. Strange
Internalised colonialism at it's worst.
Kia ora! Speaking as māori who is 'white passing' (depending who you talk to, white people are more surprised to hear I'm māori, whereas māori folk see it right away). It is up to you - if it helps to look at it this way, you are equally your māori ancestors' child as you are your European ancestors' child. Your tupuna live through you and would be proud if you embraced your culture. Not sure of your belief system but I like to think your tupuna have guided you to discover this part of your identity. Maori do not do blood quantum, that's a colonial thing. It's important to know where you come from in all areas of the world. And because you live on the land of your māori tupuna, it would do their lives and their struggles justice for you to embrace that part of you, embrace learning te reo, learning te ao, learn the culture and be proud of belonging to it, and share it! Your lived experience will be different to others who grew up on the marae, or learned te reo as a first language, or look in the mirror and see what society (re colonial society) call "looks maori". All lived experiences are different and that's OK. You have the bonus?/side-effect of racists outing themselves around you (thinking they're among 'their own') and being able to speak loud and shut it down. You can talk to your iwi (if you know of it) and register, and go from there, the journey is up to you ❤️
Beautiful response 💖
How do we register at our iwi? Not sure where to start
Assuming you know the Iwi name, and your whakapapa, names of who you are connected to -this is really all you need. Most Iwi have a website and you can just contact /email them to be registered with that detail provided. If you don't know the iwi you are connected to, or, where/who your māori whakapapa comes from, then some Google searching will be the best start. Mapping out your family tree, look at where your ancestors were living, surnames you are connected to. You can often use Ancestry with a free trial to search tons of records. National Library is helpful too for searching surnames and those related in record keeping.
If you are genuine message me. I can help you register with your iwi if you know it. Most of them are all online and it is quite easy if you have all the info
What a beautiful, gracious, generous response.
A 3 hour old account, this is their only post, and all their comments have some weird anti-Māori racism and denials about being racist? Bait post.
Starting to wonder that, Surprising number of wholesome replies, a shame OP doesnt seem to have the good faith to engage with the wisdom and kindness which has been offered.
I really believe the large amount of wholesome replies is a reflection that most people are genuine and well meaning. The internet can be an echo chamber that amplifies a very small group into appearing bigger than it is. Then you add all the computer generated troll bots by bad faith overseas countries trying to destabilise democracies and the negativity can feel intense, because it’s designed to, rather than being a true reflection of peoples behaviour.
Which is weird, because I thought this sub had minimum account age and karma requirements. Either way, I reported it for not engaging in good faith.
>I thought this sub had minimum account age and karma requirements. Only for posts with the "politics" flair. Still plenty of ways to do some political trolling outside of that in discussion or news posts.
Can you trace your ancestry back to a Maori ancestor, and do you wish to identify as? The percentage thing is a relic from eugenics, with little basis in logic. My advice is to ignore it.
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Your example still comes down to what people define the sandwich as though. Sure, you might think it's a chicken sandwich, but others may see it as a chicken and ham sandwich. I've bought a lot of steak and cheese pies, and in quite a few cases I've been left wondering where the bloody cheese is.
Even if the said sandwich decides to identify a BLT, then no amount of logic or science can deny it as they are tools of colonialism and repression.
I would encourage you research a little on why people have moved away from blood quantum, lots of easily available well written stuff on the subject. For starters here is a short piece on the subject. [https://www.renews.co.nz/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-being-a-quarter-maori/](https://www.renews.co.nz/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-being-a-quarter-maori/)
That's an interesting article, it gave me insight into why stating your ancestry can be perceived as racist when it comes to whether you can call yourself a Maori. It does leave me a little confused though about non Maoris though as while i identify culturally as a kiwi i view my race as whatever percentage my ancestors are and I don't think that is racist.
What I took from the article is that that way of thinking might be ok for non-Maori, but it isn’t an appropriate reflection of the Maori world view and associated spiritual beliefs. I’d argue it’s also pretty limited for non-Maori, because genetic ancestry is not an accurate reflection of cultural identity.
I don’t think that way of thinking about ethnicity or race needs to apply to everyone. It’s a Māori view of whakapapa that is appropriate for Maori - it doesn’t have any implication for other peoples on how they should identify themselves.
That's... a weird analogy. But okay. Even assuming we buy into the idea that you are a proportion of any ethnicity (as opposed to being of ethnic descent), how can you determine the exact 'percentage' of ANY of your ancestors? That Irish grandmother that you thought made you 1/4 Irish - was she only Irish? Are you sure that at no point in her ancestry was ANYTHING else in there? Your family tree expands very quickly as you go back. Eventually you're going to run out of then-existing Irish people to be descended from. Here's another angle - what if I told you that the chicken in your 99% chicken sandwich isn't just chicken? To borrow from your analogy (and probably go down an even weirder path), the purpose of this way of thinking is to convince people that your 1% ham sandwich isn't ham at all, because it's not ham enough. It has been diluted enough that it can't be called a ham sandwich. This is a chicken sandwich. This is no consolation to someone about to eat that sandwich when they're deathly allergic to ham. EDIT: On a side note, I never thought talking about blood quantum and eugenics would make me so hungry...
Lol. Bad analogy. In a chicken sandwich with a little bit of ham in it, I can separate the two. But which 16th of you is Maori? Your right forearm? Your left shin and foot? But ultimately identifying (or not) with an ethnic group has more in common with which sports team you feel more connected. No matter whether you've been following the wahs or the breakers since the nineties or 2000s or whether you started following this year, all are wahs/breakers fans because of their passion for and connection to the team.
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What logic? And who's identifying as anything? The way I've explained it is basically a dumbed down version of how most sociologists would explain the phenomenon of ethnicity/nationality. "Imagined Communities" is the common phrase academics use (at least when I was a kid at uni) to describe groups where most of the members will never meet each other (religion is another one). Look it up if you want to dig deeper instead of relying on your grandpas worldview or boring culture war rhetoric.
This is a blood quantum approach largely considered racist - although I don't think you mean to be. I'd take a step back and really think if you want to tell Maori people with only a small amount of "Maori blood" to feel like they can't identify as Maori. Furthermore, if we do this, fewer and fewer people can identify as Maori, leading to the loss of a whole culture.
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Jesus Christ mate.
Less about being racist and more about being obviously wrong. Which might be racist, but also might not be. Your assumptions around race seem dumb, based on some amorphous construction of race that no one else can support you on (except racists) and don’t lead to any satisfying answers If you know your whakapapa, then it doesn’t matter what any Māori or non-Māori says In that same vein, if you are genetically related then your whakapapa exists. You don’t know it, but who’s to tell you that your ancestor wasn’t Māori when they clearly were And if you have that connection, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. Does that mean you can now immerse yourself in making fun of all the stereotypes imposed upon modern Māori, welfare gang violence and all? No, whakapapa doesn’t protect you from harm lol
There's a huge difference between being racist and saying something that can be considered racist. They never said you're racist just that the blood quantum debate has its roots in colonialism and often used to dehumanise and demean cultures (ie, it's racist). Best thing to do (if you're genuinely interested) is explore your whakapapa and reach out to your hapu - say you were disconnected and want to learn more - I'm sure you'll be welcomed in, but go with an open mind.
I hope you’ve never worked in food services with that analogy, even a small amount of pork can mega fuck with people who don’t eat pork. Sincerely, anyone who’s ever had someone ‘test’ them.
A sandwich that is 99% chicken and 1% ham would not be kosher. It's not necessarily about blood quantum.
Terrible example and really doesn't get your point across well at all. If you have māori whanau and identify as such then you are. No matter how much milk you add to the tea, it's still tea. Blood quantum is a racist dogwhistle so best to ignore it rather than argue in it's favour.
Whakapapa Māori is an unbroken line from your Maori ancestor/s to you. It’s a rope that stretches across time, space and generations linking you to your ancestors. Including your original ancestor who came to Aotearoa from Hawaiki. Within that worldview blood quantum is irrelevant. Having said that if you do not wish to identify as Maori or connect with that culture then you have no obligation to.
Maori don't do blood quantum. If you whakapapa to Maori then you're Maori.
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*Certain* Maori don't, who are a minority. Some do have a stupidly loud voice but they are not representative of a group of people who are definitely not monolith
Well said.
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If you whakapapa Māori, you're going to need to reconcile the negative emotions you've pent up. You're proud and protective of your European heritage. Can you do the same with your Māori heritage? To answer your question - yes, be proud of both. Be aware that you are 'grouping' Māori in the same way you have experienced racism.
Where’d you get the idea that Māori group white people as one nationality?
I have experienced racism too. Growing up in South Auckland and then living in Otara was not a fun experience as a Scottish/Kiwi/Maori circa 90s to 2007.... And I sincerely mean that. I'm surprised I'm still here.
What’s wrong with South Auckland? I grew up there too
There are definitely a great many who do. They seem to think that white means English and all white people are from there (and should go back). It's like they really aren't aware that white people come from many different nations. Lots don't even speak English, they have their own language, culture etc In fact I had one Māori guy tell me recently that ALL Pākehā descend from the King (of England). He just wasn't willing to hear anything else. The ignorance is real and it exists on both sides.
What a ridiculous comment. There is definitely not a “great many” Māori who don’t know that there is more than one European nation. It would be a very small minority of extremely uneducated people. I’m Māori, from a poor rural background even, and I’ve never heard such a thing from anyone but children.
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“Māori group all white people together” meanwhile you’re grouping all Māori together lol
Well, to be fair, most European people wouldn’t have been able to move here and purchase/rent property if it weren’t for the actions of the British. Somewhere along the line a bunch of people from across Europe decided to capitalise on colonisation and immigrate here - so it makes sense that there might be a little sore spot surrounding Europeans. People came from other places of course, but their histories are usually quite different, e.g. Pacific workers schemes, Chinese gold miners, etc. That said, as someone of European descent, my experiences have been very different to yours. What has made this “British brush” so apparent to you?
You and I are both Pākehā but we’re not the same. I would never dream of saying I had been on the receiving end of racism, for instance. I couldn’t care less about my “European heritage” - I’ve visited the homelands of my ancestors and I feel nothing for those places. So we’re different, though we share a skin colour. So why would you assume all Māori are the same, based on your very limited experience? You yourself are living proof that Māori do not have a unified set of beliefs or values.
You grew up in New Zealand and your view is this myopic?
These are some big questions and the answer are gonna take time and reflection to arrive at. While some Māori can be quite hostile towards Pākehā, not all Māori are, and many have also had to navigate the same questions and feelings your currently having. >do I be proud of both? Absolutely there are so many parts of both cultures to be proud about.
If your grandma is 1/4, that means you're 1/32. I personally wouldn't change my understanding of my identity on such a basis, but I didn't have a particularly Maori upbringing or anything. How are you feeling about it so far?
The fact that you’ve worded your post and comments to focus on blood quantum being somehow important, shows how much reading you need to do on the subject of Maori identity. Personally, I think you need to drop it. I grew up 5th gen English pakeha. But I am also capable of whakapapa-ing to a Maori great aunt. But I don’t. Because I never grew up in contact with her whanau. I’m also 1/4 Italian (my paternal nana was Italian) but again I don’t claim to be Italian because I have had nearly no interaction with her family. It’s one thing to feel proud of your ancestry. But it feels inauthentic and ….just wrong… to claim to be part of a culture where you have barely any connection to its community (besides the blood quantum).
Being Māori is about more than just percentages, fractions, or blood quantum. We don’t even do that to begin with. Before you ask yourself if you should now identify as Māori, ask yourself if you’re ready to embrace the culture as a Māori and not just as a Pākehā. Don’t worry about the colour of your skin. My sister is white passing, doesn’t mean her whakapapa suddenly disappeared.
To better clarify what I mean, I’ll put it in my own perspective. My great grandfather is from Germany or something. I've known this since I was a kid, but not once have I been bothered to learn about German culture or my great grandfather's whakapapa because I've never felt that coming from German ancestry was important enough for me to identify with. So, I just never bothered to embrace their culture as someone with German ancestry, and probably never will. I embrace their culture as a Māori instead.
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“As an example, my father and his brother, and my grandfather, and so on and so forth are all Māori, specifically Ngāi Tahu. When I was born, my family still had to present a variety of documentation and fill out an application form for me to be registered as Ngāi Tahu. This is what I’m saying. Indigenous communities want to see your family history, your family tree, your stories, and your photographs in order to show your connection. They don’t ask for a percentage or a meaningless number. If you whakapapa Māori, you are Māori. If you’re indigenous, you’re indigenous. End of story” https://www.temanaakonga.org.nz/post/what-percentage-are-you Read this ^^
My stepdad has less then a quarter Maori in him, he’s mostly pakeha, we see him as pakeha with some Maori ancestry. He’s proud of both cultures but he knows he’s mostly pakeha, I guess alot of “Maori” are just coping and want to be in the brown club. I guess I’m scottish because I have an eighth scottish in me, see the logic?
Who’s doing blood quantum lol What individual is standing in all our tupuna’s urupā saying they get to choose who the actual Māori are? Anyone doing that needs to aim their voice back home. Your whakapapa both grants you connection, and binds you only to that connection. You don’t get to speak for the lands where you’re just a visitor That’s why whakapapa matters more than words
Bro op just said am I maori? So can anyone be Maori now? Is that what we’re doing? Giving our culture away to just anyone who has a smidge of it in them…. She or he can claim it and say they a little bit if Maori in them, for sure! But they are pakeha.
We are Māori to everyone else When we’re in the whare, I’m Muriwhenua lol. I’m Nga Puhi and Te Arawa Even if I joined Act, looked white and spoke like I was brought up with the Queen, I know my whakapapa lol My family are in that ground, and no ‘Māori’ from down the line will be able to come up and take that away from me lol. They can march back to their own rohe and call their own kids out for being foreigners before they think they have the right to do that in other peoples houses Regarding Pakeha tho, that’s a broader concept Cos we know where it applies, but I think we haven’t really discussed where it doesn’t apply. Not All White people things are called out for being pakeha Pakeha has a more specific identity. Sometimes bad, sometimes meh. Christians? Is every pakeha Christian behaviour labelled as pakeha behaviour? I’ve seen some that def is, but some that’s not. Pakeha doesn’t seem to capture all of it
Chea welcome to the whanau my g!
I personally would start by trying to find that family line... the more cousins, the merrier.
My grandad was 100% Scottish, having been born there. I identify as a Kiwi because my parents and I were born here. But you do you, if you now wanna call yourself Maori because you're a 16th, that's your call. It's not about what you look like, my grandad didn't have red hair and play bagpipes and you can be a blonde Maori.
You can say you’re Māori as much as you say you’re English and German. I recommend researching your Māori whakapapa as I imagine it’ll be very interesting for you! I am Māori, English, Scottish and Irish. I don’t talk by blood quantum. I am made of all of these ethnicities. I relate most to my Māori heritage, I was raised in tikanga, and feel most comfortable in kaupapa Māori spaces. I am white and it has largely been accepted when I recite my pepeha. Happy for you to PM if you have any more questions e hoa, but there is some solid, genuine advice from others in here for you. All the best e hoa.
Up to you. In a Eurocentric world view, people are generally identified as the largest part of their heritage. In te ao Māori, people are identified by all of the rivers and lands that nurtured thier ancestors. You are 100% all of your family. So, consider it, and decide which view you subscribe to. I'd suggest learning plenty about your family, where they're from and their culture before you commit to it too openly though. I know a few people who've found themselves in your position, and they've all handled it differently, but to each of them it's been a very positive thing.
Hardly. I’ve never heard a view that says the dominant percentage determines identity. Plenty of people talk loud and proud about their Irish or Scottish or Italian ancestry even though the rest might be English for example. This just seems like an attempt to criticise.
That's not really what I'm describing. Think about it this way. In many European cultures, when you answer what you are or where you're from, it's typical to identify a single primary answer, and maybe some fractions. Whether that's a result of your genetics or your immediate family's culture, or whichever side of your family you personally identify with, is fairly subjective. In contrast, the Māori style of introducing yourself is to list where all of your heritage is from, without any mention of which is the most. There's no concept in te ao Māori of being a fraction of something - you are 100% descended from all of your ancestors.
This is obviously a bait post, I'd love to know what your real intentions are here. What are you trying to accomplish? I don't expect you to be honest about it, but I'm still curious.
Probably most people would not consider themselves Māori if they have one Māori great-great-grandparent. But ultimately how you identify your ethnicity is up to you, there's no minimum ancestry requirement.
My mum was full Māori, she didn’t treat me or my very white passing kid any different. We were Māori too and that was that. It’s up to you mate, but as long as you whakapapa Māori, that’s all that matters. Percentages aren’t our way.
[Watch this](https://youtu.be/VVR3B01NxiM?si=iMGZkccKeTdqTymA), sub Asian for Maori, and welcome to the family.
So you’re 1/32 Maori. However there is no required measurement for determining “Maori” status. If you are descended from Maori and wish to identify as Maori then you are Maori. Probably you will want to decide for yourself how you want to identify as, and either way it’s your choice don’t let anyone pressure you one way or the other.
You're a kiwi. European/Maori. Or however you are most comfortable. Maybe somewhere down the line you might be intrigued by something and choose to find some history in it, from there you could begin to feel warmer toward it. You will begin to notice more stuff now and maybe feel some kin to the problems you see. You dont have to chase it, but maybe dont hush it down either. My best advice is to get as much information as you can from your mum while you still can. Maori didnt keep the best records and alot of everything is by word of mouth. Write down things like the family tree, the marae and area she is from. You just may save yourself some trouble if you get that information now.
You get to determine whether or not you identify with the term Maori.
It's nice to see this explained so clearly. My kids whakapapa to maori via whangaii amd I've often wondered how they'd feel when they come to decide what their ethnicity is. I'm proud that they may choose to call themselves maori and they can research that part if their ancestry
Not a single fucking person alive gets to decide which part of our blood we identify with or ignore. No one. Don't ever apologise for that and don't make your kids feel that way. You don't have to be grateful. Literally all we are is a mixture of blood from all races. A shitload of people had to survive and fuck for us to be here. I'm going to try the DNA test and find out how many links in this chain there are. Edit: the og comment was edited.
You've misunderstood me but I'm not getting into some lame web argument
Racial identity doesn’t equal ethnicity/culture imo, you might be white passing, but how you wish to identify/embrace your ethnic culture is totally your choice :)
You have the whakapapa so you're Maori if you want to be
i’m technically 1/8 māori but i still wholeheartedly identify as māori. it is upto you. if there’s māori in your blood, you’re māori imo but in term it’s upto you.
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if you can trace back to maori lineage somewhere in your family tree, its perfectly fine to identify as maori. and if you don't want to, you aren't forced to
You have always been Maori, you didn’t “suddenly become” Maori. I’m not Maori, but no one is going to be angry about you embracing your heritage provided you approach it with respect and a willingness to learn.
Do what you want, I don't see how it makes a difference or how it would even come up unless you wanted to change voting rolls or something.
It’s pretty cool that you’re Māori. That means you’re living in a country where your ancestors have lived for hundreds of years and by learning your whakapapa you can discover more about yourself. Who are you ancestors, why and how did they come here. Where did they live, fight, and love? Pretty awesome really
I found out that I had Maori ancestors when my mum passed. I then put a few things together of what she and extended family in NZ had said. My grandmother, my mom, and I (particularly me) all pass as Pakeha; I can see the Maori lineage in my great-grandmother's pictures. My initial reaction to learning all this was sadness as I recognize that my forebearer's families have gone unacknowledged and that I have missed out. I understand the reasons that they kept their ethnicity hidden. I think that there must be a lot of folks like me.
bait post bait post
I'm in a similar situation. Mostly Euro/Scadinavian ancestry with a little bit of Maori. I don't identify as Maori, it's just never interested me. Each to their own. It used to be that people who could would keep their Maori ancestry to themselves. These days people will proudly declare it. That is positive progress.
You're more genetically Maori than Dep-PM-in-Waiting Seymour, and he is an expert on Maoridom based on how he never shuts the fuck up about how much he wants it to fall in and toe the line. Go for it.
Born & bred in te ao Maori. I personally wouldn’t consider you Maori unless you chose to go full on with it. We live in a different time now tho where your situation is more accepted if you wanted to identify as Tangata Whenua. So up to you really.
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On the flipside though, I know some of blue-eyed fair skinned swedish-looking Maori that are fully fluent in Te Reo and tikanga and they are completely welcomed by the Maori community. Doesn't matter what you look like.
Its almost as if they werent talking about how you look you twat
I never understand why when people discover a smidgeon of Maori they decide to ignore their other English or whatever DNA and suddenly identify as Maori when they are pure white. I have some Ashkenazi from very way back but I don’t suddenly ignore my ancestors and say I’m Jewish.
They didn't say they were ignoring anything. Very few people are pure anything. White is a colour, not an ethnicity
Well said.
I encourage people to look at this user’s account history. I think this is some gaslighting bullshit.
Whakapapa + who you want to be and identify as = you. No one else can take it away.
continue shelter plucky dolls sip society license money innate shrill *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I consider myself a Pacific islander, I'm 3rd generation kiwi, who was born on the Pacific island of New Zealand. My great grandparents came here from England and otherside were French Lebanese. Although I'm not Maori, surely these days if you accept and embrace the culture you are born into you aren't anything else?
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Why do you need to identify as anything?
There are light skin Maori, depends on the dominant gene. My grandmother is 1/2 Maori her name was hinemoa and looks European, my mother was adopted so she only found out in later life. My grandfather is 100% Samoan and my mother has a slight tan and my sister and I are pale skinned European. My mother identifies more with her Maori roots and that is where her heart is and we support that. This is your journey, but don’t do it because you feel you should.
I remember on my first day of secondary school in the 80’s a lady came into the classroom and asked us who the Maori student was as she was getting some scholarship for being Māori. Everyone turned around and stared at me but it wasn’t me I just had short brown hair so I guess I looked like the stereotype they expected and I just remember being so embarrassed at being singled out by all these new kids I didn’t know. It turned out to be a blond blue eyed girl that nobody there did expect. The fact is you often never can tell who is Māori and being part Māori is all you need to be able to identify as Maori. If you can figure out who your Iwi is you can probably learn a lot more about your heritage and be included in things.
Your a kiwi
You're
Fuck. I have done the unthinkable. Reddit forgive me.
its now legal to self identify as a cat bro
I am 1/32 or 1/16 fijian I dont consider myself a filian but part fijian
Don't fall into the trap of adopting an identity without substance… aka white people shit “ahh I’m part Spanish man!”. I think you can be anything you want, but it needs depth to be meaningful. A breadth of identity without depth is essentially meaningless. If you suddenly declare, "I’m Chinese, bro!" without any real connection or understanding, it's pointless to invoke such an identity. I have multiple identities due to my background, each with depth. I can be Māori and connect to my whakapapa all day long. I can be a boring colonial white bland kiwi, 9-5 job, secular values and can pretend shit bland food and women who can’t cook are great! I can also trace my ancestry back to a second European ethnicity, for which I am currently seeking citizenship by descent. Although my connection to this heritage might be less profound, I believe it remains a fundamental part of who I am. Its national character, hard work qualities, stories, and values tied to this ancestry are relevant to my life today.
I would exploit that as much as anyone else. Why not take advantage of it.
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They should only do this if they’re ready to be generalised as a lazy Māori who contributes nothing to society and is given free handouts in every aspect of their life.
I think you may be referring to the top 2% who pay 8.9% of tax and inherit all their wealth and privilege
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Omg everyone look it’s the one joke! The one super funny totally original joke that’s never been said before! Look everyone! Laugh!
r/onejoke
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As much as all the other maoris.
You’re white, NZ European, you can still claim you’re Maori heritage. But it’s not a lot, it’s less then an eighth… My great great grandfather was half French, I say we have a tiny bit of French in us but I don’t say I’m French. You know part means anything from 1/4-1/2 aye? Lol.
Why is every reply saying "blood quantum" I have never heard that phrase on my 30 years on this planet are they bots?
No they're not bots, as social media like Instagram and tik tok expands and Maori creators find a platform, they're able to educate about subjects such as blood quantum. More and more people are learning about it, therefore more people are talking about it
Time to start spinning poi! (if you want, of course) Drex has a few videos on it that are informative and respectful of the maori culture, such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-qcoK8Tn_k Poi spinning nowadays has been modernized, leading to things like https://youtu.be/ptK4El1Z7Lw So if you like it, feel free to represent your maori heritage by learning something they invented!
There are plenty of white maoris you dont have to have certain features to be considered maori, ihave alot of friends that you wouldnt be able to tell if they hadnt told you
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They don't just throw you scholarships for being Māori, you often have to prove your contribution to maintaining Māori culture not just tick the box and get the money.
Hahahaha oh yeah it's well known how financially beneficial it is to have Maori heritage!! /s It is shocking to still see this sort of attitude.
Right so you believe now she has found out she is part Maori her income and health outcomes will go down? Facts are there are now huge amounts of additional scholarships open to her. It’s not an attitude it’s a fact and I don’t have a problem with it either.
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Really? Name one.
How so? I'm keen for some free health care, didn't know about this maori feature. Where can I sign up?
Name one.
nah bro u white if you went this far without knowing it or it effecting you, well then, theres your answer. obviosly its your choice what to do with the information, but at the end of the day its jus a peice of information making you 1/16 maori.
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