E Kore Au E Ngaro | The Connection Remains
November 28, 2023
As global momentum grows to properly value Indigenous ways of knowing alongside Western scientific research practice, a Māori community in New Zealand illuminates a powerful strategy for change. In addressing both historical collections of plant specimens and present day gene research in local mussel populations, Whakatōhea have implemented Biocultural Labels and Notices to address histories of colonial extraction as well as the challenges presented by open access datasets. In both scenarios, Whakatōhea set a powerful example of how to ensure that the chain of provenance to peoples and lands is robust and persistent across global digital ecosystems.
Credits
Film by Andreas Burgess, Jane Anderson & Māui Hudson
in collaboration with Danny Paruru, Robert Edwards, Holden Hohaia, Aaron Wilton, Kimberly Maxwell & Jonathan Gardner
Songs
E Kore Au E Ngaro
Written by Okeroa Huriwaka & Tawhiro Maxwell
Performed by Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board staff, Opape Marae, 2022
Te Tapu O Muriwai
Performed by Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti Kapa Haka, 2019
From Māori Television’s HAKA AT HOME (Season 2, Episode 5)
E Kore Au E Ngaro
Written by Okeroa Huriwaka & Tawhiro Maxwell
Performed by Kimberley Maxwell, 2023
Music by Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache)
Audio Post-Production by Kayla Elrod
Additional Footage Courtesy of Adrenalin Group
Archival Sources
Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board
Local Contexts
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Te Papa
Ōpōtiki Museum
New Zealand Department of Conservation
National Library of New Zealand
GBIF
Auckland University
Native Land Digital
New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
Nutrients
Māori Television
QGIS
Whakatōhea Mussels (Ōpōtiki) Limited
The Moana Project
Genbank
IGV
Genomenz
Metocean
Open Oceans
NIH National Library of Medicine
Dryad
Special Thanks
Dan Paruru, Sr.
Ashleigh Anderson
Kura Paul-Burke
Joe Burke
Peter Vitasovich
Dickie Farrar
Courtney Papuni
Takapau Flavell
Rangimarie Biddle
Stephanie Carroll
Stephany RunningHawk Johnson
Janette Hamilton-Pearce
Corrie Roe
Laure Haak
Diana Lovette
Ashley Rojas
Renee Waiwiri
John Moore
Paulina Ascencio Fuentes
Sabeen Ammar
Herbert Dawkins
Dakota Feirer
Melissa Flamand
Emily Santhanam
Andrea Geyer
Emily Johnson
Courtney Botfield
Sadia Shepard
Purcell Carson
Aotearoa Biocultural Labels Working Group
Māui Hudson (University of Waikato)
Jane Anderson (New York University)
Libby Liggins (Massey University)
John Deck (UC Berkeley)
Te Horipo Karaitiana (FOMA Innovation)
David Chagne (Plant and Food Research)
Michael Steedman (University of Auckland)
Holden Hohaia (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
Aaron Wilton (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
Jymal Morgan (Environmental Science and Research)
Ben Te Aika (Genomics Aotearoa)
Sarah Berry (Auckland Museum)
Copyright Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board and Local Contexts, 2023
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In Memorium
Ruka Hudson (1943 – 2023)
Miriame Barbarich (1966 – 2022)