On the night of the 18th of February 2011 students of St John’s theological college sat down in Owae Marae at Waitara and began a journey together than delved into the depths of cultural, spiritual and historical realities. Since then, we have been asked to reflect on this time and this essay is a report on the group discussion that came out of that. Within it, due to size constraints, a select number of issues, feelings and realities reported as being experienced that night will be addressed with reference to cultural identity, conceptions and ideals. These will be explored, primarily, through the events of the Karakia, the Korero and from there, the subject matter with which these dealt.
Before looking further at these events and subjects in depth, it is important that a greater sense of the occasion is given and the particular focus of our group discussion, and so this report, is identified. The scope of our discussion lay, broadly, within three key events. The first of these was the Karakia, or prayers, led by the Tangata Whenua and a local priest, which brought us, as a community, back together after free time following dinner. Immediately after this was a presentation and Korero by Bishop Philip Richardson, Bishop of Taranaki, and Archdeacon Tiki Tuturangi Raumati. Both speakers explored the history of the Taranaki, specifically the land wars of the late nineteenth century and the settler/Maori relations that led up to and resulted from that time, as well as the Anglican Church’s involvement in it. These presentations then led into our third key area, which centered on the discussion of the ways the Church is now, and could in the future address its own history, both in Taranaki and globally. The focus of our group...
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... important to both the whole church and us all as individuals in the future.
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This sacred space is enclosed with a corridor of stones leading away which represents a Bora. The Bora was a traditional meeting ground of Aboriginals which in this ritual is another connection to their ancestry and spirituality. Connecting with the land has been a vital part of Aboriginal spirituality despite the catholic prominence. Source 1 also ties in with Christian beliefs as well as Aboriginal spirituality with it’s references to “God the creator” and the recollection of Jesus being the light of the world. A candle is placed to acknowledge the light Jesus brought into the world which shows the deep connection to Jesus and Christmas which celebrates Jesus birth. At the centre of the Murri people’s worship place a coolamon which is an area a baby could be placed is created to symbolism Jesus’s Manger. Through source 1 it is shown that religion and spirituality can go side by side in contemporary society by
In the rough and tropical island of Papua New Guinea, lived an exceptional aggregation of individuals called, The Gebusi. In the 1980's, The Gebusi tribe was anything besides up to date and acculturated. The Gebusi had their own particular singular and special customs and conventions that they rehearsed and accompanied. The Gebusi tribe took part in custom homosexuality, divination or witchcraft was exceedingly respected and polished, and they partook in particular sister-trade relational unions. By 1998-99, The Gebusi tribe had made another lifestyle. The Gebusi had gotten accustomed with new social convictions, modernization due to “western ways” that had changed their lives until the end of time especially changing their ways and view on gender roles and sexuality.
This quote shows the impact Saint Damien had on the island of Molokai, and the courage he had to complete this difficult task. Saint Damien exemplified many Catholic Social Teachings during his lifetime on the island of Molokai.
The Hawaiian culture is known throughout the western world for their extravagant luaus, beautiful islands, and a language that comes nowhere near being pronounceable to anyone but a Hawaiian. Whenever someone wants to “get away” their first thought is to sit on the beach in Hawai’i with a Mai tai in their hand and watch the sun go down. Haunani-Kay Trask is a native Hawaiian educated on the mainland because it was believed to provide a better education. She questioned the stories of her heritage she heard as a child when she began learning of her ancestors in books at school. Confused by which story was correct, she returned to Hawai’i and discovered that the books of the mainland schools had been all wrong and her heritage was correctly told through the language and teachings of her own people. With her use of pathos and connotative language, Trask does a fine job of defending her argument that the western world destroyed her vibrant Hawaiian culture.
Growing up, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha had a hard life. When she was just four in the year of 1660, an epidemic of smallpox ran through her native tribe, affecting both of parents and brother, killing all three. Though Saint Kateri survived, the disease left her weakened, partially blinded, and scarred in the face. For this reason, Saint Kateri had ‘Tekakwitha’ added to her name, which means “The One Who Walks Groping For Her Way”. After the tragic death of her immediate family, she moved and shared a house with her uncle, a head Mohawk chief, and her two aunts. In the culture that Saint Kateri Tekakwitha grew up with, it was expected to make marriage arrangements around the age of seven and eight. Instead of willingly agreeing to marry the boy her two aunts arranged for her to marry, she said that she dedicated her life to Christ. Remaining firm in her faith, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha stood with God throughout all the hardships.
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Out of the desolation of World War II sprang the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches. This developed into the Australian Council of Churches which, in 1994, grew to be the National Council of Churches in Australia. The NCCA is 15 Christian churches, gathered from across Australia, who have embarked on a pilgrimage together . Each brings a widely diverse record of place, experience, and theology, but all share a mutual faith and confession in the Jesus Christ as God and Savior. All share a common future as they are confident that the future of Christians in Australia lies together, not in division. The aim of the NCCA is to deepen the relationship of member churches so as to communicate more visibly the unity willed by Christ and to rally towards the achievement of their mission of common witness, proclamation and service .
In the chronological, descriptive ethnography Nest in the Wind, Martha Ward described her experience on the rainy, Micronesian island of Pohnpei using both the concepts of anthropological research and personal, underlying realities of participant observation to convey a genuine depiction of the people of Pohnpei. Ward’s objective in writing Nest in the Wind was to document the concrete, specific events of Pohnpeian everyday life and traditions through decades of change. While informing the reader of the rich beliefs, practices, and legends circulated among the people of Pohnpei, the ethnography also documents the effects of the change itself: the island’s adaptation to the age of globalization and the survival of pre-colonial culture.
for its congregation and the general population alike. The church began to place a larger emphasis on its social mission; priests and other Theologians readily
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The Treaty of Waitangi is a very important document to New Zealand. It is an agreement that was drawn up by representatives of the British Crown and Maori Hapu and Iwi. It was first signed at the Bay of Islands on February 6th, 1840. There has been a lot of debate over the years about the translation of words between the English and Te Reo Maori versions of the text and the differences in the word meaning over the who languages. In this assignment I am going to cover the rights and responsibilities that the treaty contains and an explanation of the differences in wordings and I am also going to contextualise my understanding of the differences of wording against the Maori Worldview and the Declaration of Independence.
Aotearoa is the home to Te reo Maori where is should be promoted and encouraged. In fact, Te Whāriki and New Zealand Early Childhood curriculum acknowledge Te reo Maori by encouraging the teachers to promote and implement it in early childhood settings allowing all children the opportunity to understand and develop an understanding of Maori heritages; Te reo, and partnership to Te Tiriti of Waitangi(Ministry of Education [M...