Ngā kiritea Māori: Walking between two worlds

Abstract

Current statistics illustrate the diversity of the Māori population in Aotearoa. Many Māori individuals do not necessarily "fit‟ the narratives used in contemporary society of what it means to be Māori, and this may affect their identity as Māori. In particular, those who do not physically look Māori but who identify as Māori and who have Māori whakapapa. I have termed these people ngā kiritea Māori. The research was grounded in a Māori centred qualitative research approach. Semi structured interviews were carried out with eight participants in order to obtain information around their experiences of growing up in Aotearoa and how these experiences helped or hindered them in their development of their Māori identity. In addition, the interviews drew out stories about what their Māori identity meant to them in today‟s society. These stories were analyzed using narrative analysis to explore some of the factors that affect Māori identity development. Five public narratives were identified: „Māori/Pākehā division‟, "Māori as second class citizens‟, "The ideal Māori figure‟, „Māori as the sports hero‟ and „Valorisation of Māori‟. Within the personal stories there were four identified themes: „The desire to connect to things Māori‟, "The importance of whakapapa‟ "Painful and conflicting journey‟s‟, and „Positive Māori identities‟. The analysis reveals how participants drew on the public narratives as a way of explaining their own personal stories and how the public narratives contributed to the four personal themes identified. This research will not only contribute to the limited literature existing on ngā kiritea Māori identities but it will also provide a means for ngā kiritea Māori voices to be heard in Aotearoa