Page 18 - IB June July 2024

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Rapa Nui dancers perform at the Waikiki Beach Walk mall

“And so now, a lot of people’s experiences of traditional wisdom’ of one’s ancestors. It maps a path for future
dance is within schools, high schools, rather than in discussions and meetings.
community dance places, and so if it doesn’t look like what Kiingitanga Chief of Staff, Ngira Simmonds represented the
they’ve experienced, it’s ‘not’, it can’t be labeled as ‘this’, Māori King Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII at the signing
it has to look like ‘this’, it has to be done like ‘this’. And so and said: “It’s an exciting and bold step for us, the Māori
it worries me that that diversity of traditional dance is being people and for the Kiingitanga of Aotearoa. Our history of
lost as well.” colonisation and suppression is one that continues to hurt and
Speaking of the dancers who had been criticised over be a pain among our people to this day.
their performance, she continued: “What they’ve been “In signing this declaration, Kiingi Tūheitia strives for unity
through over the past few days has been really, really, really with other leaders and ‘mana motuhake,’ which is our word
confronting, really difficult. And one of the ways through for Indigenous sovereignty.”
this, I feel, is if we can have creative subjects in primary and Hawaii State Senator, Jarrett Keohokālole told Islands
secondary schools, it’s going to help Fijians articulate and Business after the signing that the discussions illuminated
express and channel their thoughts and their ideas and maybe the collective desire of the leaders to create a forum so that
their trauma as well.” we could all communicate with each other, and develop or
redevelop stronger ties.
Culture and traditional leadership “For Hawaii, this was especially significant because of our
One of the more significant meetings held in Hawaii was a history, and our historic attempts to establish unity within
meeting of traditional leaders from across the Pacific. the Pacific that were thwarted by imperialist aims. So, the
The leaders discussed macropolitical issues, such as the symbolism of reestablishing this forum here at the palace is
Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and an incredible honor for Hawaii.
Associated Traditional Knowledge agreed at the United Nations “There were many discussions about the role that
in May, and whether there was a platform to bring traditional traditional leaders play across the Pacific because they
knowledge and wisdom to broader regional platforms. manifest themselves in so many different ways. There
After meeting at ‘Iolani Palace, they signed the Tuurama are traditional leader lines across the Pacific that are the
declaration, a word which refers to ‘light’ or the ‘radiant government, there are traditional leader lines that exist
apart from the official government, there are some that

18 Islands Business, June/July 2024