Perceptions
differ…. indeed …. Over the last weeks I have been thinking a lot about the
internal and external viewpoints on the events and historical impact on things.
As part of remaining
in touch with New Zealand news and issues, I am part of several New Zealand
focused groups and forums online. There is huge amount of German driven travel
pages where people report about their experiences or ask specific questions
about New Zealand. On the surface,
unlikely to be controversial one might think.
Recently, people
began posting photos of the replica of HMS Endeavour, The ship used by Captain James
Cook on his first visit to the South Pacific. The “Endevour” is currently
circumnavigates New Zealand as part of the 250 years celebration of that visit
(Tuia250). Comments praised the beauty of the ship and what great celebrations
are taking place around it´s visit. As
expected with travel sites, there was no critical reflection on Cook and his
historical impact took place back in time. Cook, the great discoverer was
praised and his great achievements for mankind stood at the forefront of the
discussion.
At the same
time in my Maori and indigenous groups, discussions continued about the appropriateness
of these celebrations’. Maori protocol
naturally figured throughout the celebrations but many Iwi (tribes) refused to
take part, bringing focus to the death and destruction Cook brought to Aotearoa
(New Zealand).
For the
first time, the British High commissioner to New Zealand offered an official
statement of regret to Maori talking about Maori who had been killed in the
initial meeting and subsequently through kidnapping and imported disease. The quest arose, “was this enough”?
Embedded also
in this discussion was a declaration to teach a more honest account of New
Zealand’s history. Maori have never had
a strong voice in setting educational curriculum, so it quickly became clear
that a strong Maori voice was still missing and that the celebrations were
based on a very one sided and unbalanced view of history. We therefore need to ask ourselves on whether
this is an example of historical colonialism with tinges of far right rhetoric.
A beautiful
historical waka ( a traditional Polynesian canoe) arrived in New Zealand sailing alongside the
Endeavour replica perpetuating the historical myth of equality and racial
harmony. As a counterpoint, this waka was intended to remind us of the skilled
and brave navigators that reached New Zealand and continued to sailed all over
the Pacific for many generations.
These waka (also
representing Tahiti and the Easter Islands) had been an “added on “ to the
celebrations with the argument that it should not only be Cook who was celebrated,
but also the generations of great navigators and discoverers. Interestingly I could not find any coverage of
this waka as or even a word about the amazing crew in those German travel
groups. However Maori reporting about this ship took place over all Media and
even the News. How can it be that the tourist have not taken notice of the
waka?
So, this
brings us to 2019 in the so-called Postcolonial period, celebrating a highly
controversial historical figure, spending millions on someone that laid the
foundation for colonisation of Aotearoa and brought death, disease, destruction
and trauma to this country and the Pacific.
Dr. Arama Rata called the Endeavour a “ Death Ship”, and I could not
agree more. Acting under the “Doctrin of (Christian) Discovery” which was
released by the Catholic Church in the 15th Century. This was a
document that gave European monarchies the right to conquer lands and to imprison,
convert and kill native inhabitants and indigenous people. Cook and all other “ Discoverers” systematically
followed this doctrine acted not out of scientific interest but rather out of
conquest to build on a commitment to superiority and expansion. These hundreds
of years old papal bulls have still not
been revoked, even though the Vatican had been called upon it several times. Effectively,
the result of this expand continues without any real repercussions. The United
Nations have been called upon to strengthen indigenous rights and request of
acknowledgement of wrongdoing that is still ongoing although support has been
very slow in coming forward.
For me, I
see the bandwidth of opinions on these Tuia250 celebrations collide in my News
Feed again and again. New Zealand, claiming to be a bicultural nation and
following its obligations of the Treaty of Waitangi, spends money on
celebration of an event of an encounter that fuelled discussions how the world
would be divided up and how Aotearoa would be used to serve the Empire.
Cook and
his crew killed many on his journeys and knowingly impacted Maori destroying
families abducted people into slavery, bringing disease and sickness to the
land which would destroy the legacy of many tribes. He plundered resources from
tribes, “played his cards” close to his chest lauding his supreme power. It can be argued that with innocent posts “travellers”,
unwittingly are supporting this showcasing of an institutionalised white
supremacy. The difference is, now Maori have a voice: the message is loud and
clear that the sacrifices of the ancestors will not be forgotten, and the
atrocities of the past shall soon be address.
What we are seeing is the collision of democracy and Postcolonial ideology.
We are seeing colonial ideas, train of
thoughts, carelessness and a dominant cultural situation based on out of placed
historical and reminiscent viewpoint.
Cook is an
interesting historical figure, and yes, his science officers documented
interesting discoveries and strange flora and animals. Nevertheless, Cook is
also a person that clearly represents the British colonial Empire and Colonisation.
Some might say his role is similar to that of Columbus.
So what
should we remember? Maybe we use this event to remember historical consequences
and take this time to reflect on the past and engage in a discussion on the
future. We can’t change what happened in the past, but we can decide how we use
what we have learned.
Acknowledging
that Cook real historical place in an honest and transparent forum might open
our eyes to an authentic and painful discussion about how we deal with
decolonisation practises nowadays. Approaching it this way gives room to
acknowledge how far we have come in giving Maori voice, an agency to make and
deliver their own decision and compensation for wrong doing. Do we need a
replica of a ship for this discussion? Probably not, but it is here, and iwi
have chosen to react in the way they have. What it achieves is an emotional
response and connection, creating a historical myth that reflects the
historical truth.
What should
we celebrate? I don’t think we need a celebration at all. After all, 250 years
is just a time for discovery of Europeans and has nothing to do with the much
longer history or Aotearoa. Its just a little dot on the timeline marking one
event of many in the history of the land.
But if we need to celebrate, we should think about shifting it more to a
remembering rather than celebrating. We are remerging Anzac, why
not remembering another event that relates to negative effects with a similar
dignity and critical reflection?
By creating
a myth of racial harmony and whitewashing history does not engage us in
critical discussion that will continue the difficult process of addressing and
removing trauma.
In accessing
the observations of the German travel groups, I decide to not take part in this
glorification and historical mystification of the visit. I took a strong and
fully aware position and commented in these posts, clearly stating the
historical reality. In this way I was able to present history in a wider more
illuminated way and set a spotlight on the horrible effects people have
suffered in the Pacific due to Cooks actions. His victims are not forgotten,
and the time is long overdue that their voice should be heard. We need to open
our eyes to the truth….moving through the fear and trauma igniting a flame of
light and leading a way to the future.
