WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?
When non-Indigenous people are working with Indigenous communities, it’s important that the researcher isn’t suffocating Indigenous Peoples’ voices. So a researcher must make sure they’re holding themselves accountable to the people they’re working with and the communities they’re representing. All work that a student conducts in New Zealand will affect Māori communities in some way, even if indirectly, and students must always be thinking about how the project affects those communities and what they can learn from Māori knowledge to better inform their projects.
Theoretical Volcano Example
Say a research group wants to study a volcano in Aotearoa. They may think since they want to look at the volcano, they should be allowed to walk on the volcano and perform any tests they want on the volcano, and take any samples they want from the volcano. This mindset does not acknowledge Māori culture in relation to the land.
– Dr. Amanda Thomas, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington
The concept of territory [in Māori knowledge] usually closest to the scientific notion of “ecosystem” than to the western concept of “land”. However, it differs in that the perception of the territory by most indigenous people is also based on the idea that everything in the environment has life and spirit.
– Pardo, N., Wilson, H., Procter, J.N. et al. Bridging Māori indigenous knowledge and western geosciences to reduce social vulnerability in active volcanic regions. J Appl. Volcanol.
*Note, information in square brackets was added for clarification
As such, students should always be looking at how Indigenous knowledge can inform their projects and make sure that the research they are conducting respects that knowledge.
WHY IS ACCOUNTABILITY IMPORTANT?
There is a history of Māori communities being lied to or misled for the benefit of Western settlers. This is especially evident with The Treaty of Waitangi, which is a founding document that was supposed to give certain rights to Māori, create a definitive partnership between Pākehā and Māori, and allowed Pākehā to stay on Māori land. However, Māori were misled by this document as the British interpreted it as the Māori seceding all of their land. Since the treaty was created, Pākehā have failed to deliver on promised rights, and Māori today are still seeking retribution for grievances dating back to 1840.
–All information in this paragraph was gathered through interviews with WPI advisors, Pākehā sponsors and scholars, and Māori sponsors and scholars. To learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi, check out the resources in Culture and History.
For students on their IQP, they must have an understanding of this history. By knowing this history, they can hold their projects accountable by making sure they are not misrepresenting the project to Māori communities, and making sure that the results of their project respect the partnership aspect of the Treaty of Waitangi; the project should be beneficial to all members of the community, and should take into account Māori culture no matter what the project scope may be.
HOW CAN YOU HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE?
Students must realize that their IQP is real to the people and communities they are working with, not just a paper to be submitted. It is essential to include Māori voices in any project that may affect Māori communities. However, students must be intentional when reaching out to Māori individuals and be aware that they are busy individuals who may not have time to sit down with a group of students. Therefore students should look for published work by Māori individuals to further inform themselves before reaching out to community members and to get a wide array of Māori different opinions.
Culture and History. A good place to start is by doing background research on culture and history to better understand how they can tie Māori knowledge and experiences into their projects.
Reflection. Students can also reflect on how their projects affect Māori communities to identify areas where they need to incorporate Māori knowledge. They should also use reflection to make sure their recommendations are beneficial to all Aotearoa communities.
Ethical Listening. Students should seek out and listen to Māori voices, whether through conversation or reading. This way you can learn about the needs and expectations of those communities.