Rū Te Whakaturu Whenua: Understanding Hapū Relationships Through Cultural Mapping

Abstract

The paramount objective of this research is to critically analyse a model of knowledge revitalization, reproduction, re-dissemination and re-storage that underpins the traditional Māori essence of building hapū capacity and the relationship hapū descendants have with their ancestral lands. The contemporary application of traditional essence for the research objective above will investigate the use of GIS (Geographic Information System), UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and various visual technologies to enhance the traditional knowledge aspirations of hapū via the form of indigenous cultural mapping. This form of cultural mapping will be analysed through three main realms: first, in terms of traditional aspects of mapping and the use of knowledge within; second, analysing mapping and the use of knowledge throughout the colonial process; and finally, piecing together the aspired future of cultural mapping and how this may provide insight into how the future of hapū development may be structured. Aligned with a Kaupapa Māori approach, the present research utilised a mixed methods approach utilising semi-structured interviews, site visits and participatory mapping techniques to gather information and ancestral knowledge aligned to the research objectives.