Abstract:
In this chapter, we draw on our experience in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa is the Indigenous name for New Zealand) to question the “travelability” of Indigenous metaphors to understand how the benefits of Indigenous metaphors might be used in alternative contexts. We begin this chapter defining Indigenous People’s, with a brief introduction to the Māori cultural landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand. This leads to a discussion of Māori knowledge, metaphors and the philosophical themes that underpin. We draw on four Māori metaphors: Te Whare Tapa Wha (a house with four walls), whanau (kinship networks), Maui (personifying innovation), and rāranga (life as interwoven). We utilize three existing frameworks, Hall’s (1976) framing of low and high context, Cornelissen’s (2004) typology of metaphors, and Case et al.’s (2017) work to elucidate transference issues of metaphors between cultures and formulate potential explanations regarding the degree to which metaphor may transcend their native contexts. We finalize our chapter by providing some guidance for other nations when considering the metaphorical incorporation of Indigenous imagery into their organizational landscapes.
