Creating a "safe space" for Indigenous Research...

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We Are All One

The world's largest mural by one artist was made by Eduardo Kobra. It shows five faces representing the five main ethnic groups of five continents.
Video by International Business Times UK.
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This last weekend I had the privilege of teaching my first class "noho" (Marae style teaching) for the Certificate in Indigenous Research that started last Friday evening and ended on Sunday after lunchtime. We started Friday evening with a "whakatau" a brief Maori welcome into our class by one my good friends and cultural advisors at Te Wananga o Aotearoa and ended on Sunday with a karakia (prayer) and waiata (song) and hugs all round.

It was a real eye opening experience in being able to share within the class of our experiences as people with indigenous backgrounds of the things that we have lived and observed over the past few decades, for those of us in our 40s upwards and to share with our younger "whanau" (class members) in their twenties.

I think the most precious thing for me was in seeing the Maori concept of "ahurutanga" or safe space being applied and is that there was a willingness to respect one another's view although sometimes it did get uncomfortable, it was a safe place to highlight some of the more negative experiences that indigenous people of this country have partaken in and some still continue to.

So while the world Olympics are currently tracking in Rio, South America, spare a thought for the many indigenous cultures who will be represented or those who are absent at these games. It was also really neat to witness Edwardo Kobra's largest painting in the world depicting 5 indigenous cultures from 5 world continents on an international stage. Can you guess who they represent?

Looking forward to the journey ahead, the stories to unfold and the research to begin ...