I recently replied to a posting from Minawihe in relation to their
involvement in media and I thought it may be of interest more
generally.
I am a Maori woman lecturer in the Education Department at the
University of Auckland, teaching in areas of Maori Education, Maori
and Gender, Media studies and the representation of Maori people.
As a part of our work as Maori educationalists we have begun making our
own videos related to issues here, we are also publishing a substantial
amount of our research and writings. A group of us have formed a small
Maori Production company called 'Moko Productions.' The term 'Moko'
refers to the tattooing of our people and in particular the facial
tattoo. It also relates to the term 'Mokopuna' or grandchild, we are
each mokopuna and we are therefore each born in the image of our
ancestors. This will give you a sense of where we are coming from in
our work.
Here in Aotearoa we are attempting to get a Maori television channel
underway, it is a struggle, but one that we are committed to. We are
interested in knowing what indigenous people around the world are
doing in terms of taking control of our images and the production
processes. We would be happy to hear from groups involved in media
production and publishing as to the types of resources that are
available and ways of accessing or purchasing those resources.
Kia ora mo tou manaaki
Naaku noa
Leonie Pihama
Education Department
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019,
Auckland