Māori symbolism - the enacted marae curriculum Jamie Lambert Te Awem āpara, Ng āti Hinekura, Te M āhurehure familial connections Te W ānanga o Aotearoa, Te Awamutu, New Zealand
[email protected] Symbolism and other metaphoric representations of aspects of M āori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand) culture such as whaik ōrero (formal speaking), moemoe ā (dreams), and whakatauk ī (proverbial sayings) has existed with M āori for generations. This paper examines M āori symbolism and its importance in M āori culture more specifically the maintenance, sustenance and transmission of our indigenous knowledge systems for generations to come. Traditional use of symbols is also explored through the contextual application of the marae (traditional M āori living complex) and how symbols exist in various parts of the marae. The enacted curriculum is also investigated looking at specific examples of how these symbols can enact both non-Māori and M āori formal curriculum areas. Symbolism Symbolism as a part of an expressive culture operates on a number of levels and across a range of frequencies according to your perceptions and having deeper understandings of what is truly represented. These symbols appear as images, words, behaviours and actions function in different spaces and places with differing meanings. This depends heavily on context, that is they are culturally and contextually relevant. Much of the value is encoded in metaphor. Symbols stand for concepts that are often too complex to be stated directly in words (Womack, 2005). Furthermore, Womack cites social anthropologist Raymond Firth (Ibid) who writes “it is assumed that symbols communicate meanings at levels of reality not accessible through immediate experience or conceptual thought.