Projects and Events

COLLABORATION: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Soundings Theatre, Level 2, Te Papa, Wellington, 29-30 September

The Māori Digital Forum of 2002 was attended by representatives from the universities of Waikato, Massey and Auckland, the National Library of NZ, Auckland Museum and Te Puni Kokiri. It is hoped that in the future iwi will also be present.

The Forum discussed a number of digitisation issues relevant to Māori:

• Macrons should be used for te reo/tikanga Māori. Bilingual websites are encouraged.
• Appropriate classification systems and subject headings should be used for Māori holdings.
• Culturally specific classification systems need to be standardised using indigenous models or understandings of knowledge.
• Classification of taonga should incorporate whakapapa - where objects come from, not merely what they 'are'.
• Provision needs to be made for Māori involvement at governance level within the National Digital Forum.
• Provision needs to made for whanau/iwi/hapū contribution to digital initiatives.
• Accountability needs to be made to whanau/iwi/hapū when presenting their taonga in the public domain. Web-published Māori material must be authentic.

In conclusion, the Māori Digital Forum recommended that:

• Māori representation is integral to the future of the National Digital Forum;
• Māori involvement is provided for in all aspects of the National Digital Forum;
• There is a Māori digital project.

Picture 'iwi': building the concept of an inclusive iwi website

Bernard Makoare and Paul Tapsell, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Bernard Makoare based his discussion on his personal experiences at libraries and museums, as Ngāti Whātua, and as an arts planner.

A website needs to include both increased access and the protection of information. In this respect the apparent problem of 'Māori versus non-Māori' is a red-herring: a new beginning is needed, where indigenous cultures can express and protect identity in a celebration of diversity. .

A metaphor for such a website is the hui. A hui is a gathering, where people come to a marae to deliver information or resolve conflicts. Such exchanges are allowed for by the formality of ritual, where the boundary between host and guest is a structure for understanding. Within the context of this division, relationships are established and identity is engaged fully in a prescribed process. There must be no shortcuts: the process must be followed to its end and all identities must be acknowledged. If the process is undermined, so are the people in it, and so is the goal.

Digitisation must not become another tool of division from an essential sense of identity. Who controls technology? Who uses it? Will only institutions benefit from the successful outcomes of digitisation? In the case of Ngāti Whātua, attention must be paid to survival issues: the access, interpretation and celebration of our own tribal identity and other indigenous matters. There is nothing to gain by eroding Māori identity.

Colonisation has redefined and transplanted the original notion of indigenous identity as a connection with the land. To derive potency or cultural benefit, Māori must now connect with their heritage. They can visit an institution, or institutions can go to Māori - in both cases, the host/guest model of the hui applies. The mutual baggage of colonisation is with us, but we must no longer think that providing information creates a division between the powerful and the powerless. Instead, the process is to skillfully weave together diverse groups of people to maintain their true identity.

We have begun a journey. Where are we headed now? What is the best mode of travel? It is the journey that is more important than the destination.

Paul Tapsell elaborated upon the marae as a metaphor for the National Digital Forum. Māori want a type of inclusion that empowers - the marae is a place of protection.

If the website user is the 'visitor', how will their visit to the 'marae' be facilitated? What does the visitor want? There are three levels of exchange:

• Institutions need to consult with iwi about how access to taonga is made, and under what conditions.
• The NDF needs to integrate Māori values into all digitisation projects.
• The NDF can advise on the correct Māori people to consult.

Taonga, for Māori, is both a treasure and a genealogical representation. Taonga embodies kinship, love and belonging, rather than owning. Law and ownership are, of course, also aspects of taonga, but in a marae context the boundary between 'belonging' and 'owning' can be negotiated.

Māori subject headings: building new collaborative finding aids

Alison Elliott, Jenny Barnett and Steven Lulich, Māori Subject Headings Steering Committee

Alison Elliott outlined the committee's task to maximise access to heritage material by providing descriptive records. Adhering to standards is vital in order that data is consistent. Using standards when creating these records fosters collaborative ventures. Relevant standards include the Dublin Core, the Encoded Archival Description, and Anglo-American Cataloging Rules. Problems arise, however, when no established standards exist, or existing standards are unsuitable in a New Zealand context. For example, Library of Congress subject headings have an international emphasis that does not always apply to specific local needs, and all headings are in English, not te reo.

The steering committee, made up of representatives of LIANZA, Te Rōpū Whakahau and the National Library of NZ, is developing Māori, iwi and hapū subject lists. Initiated in 1998, the group based its initial work on the research on Māori information needs published in Te Ara Tika Guiding Voices (1997). In stages I and II of the project, the purpose and function of the committee was scoped, language use was decided, structures agreed and application guidelines developed. A short delay was caused by funding problems in 2001-2. Progress continues in 2003. Stage III will see the development of a Māori subject headings list and a Māori name authority file. Guidelines will be tested and finalised, and responsibility will be agreed. Focus groups will identify high-priority subjects, information-seeking strategies, and participants. Assistance from those interested is welcomed, to make this a truly collaborative project.

Jenny Barnet explained that the content of subject headings comes from several perspectives. How do we articulate what a Māori world view is, given the problems of Māori expressing such a view in non-Māori concepts and language? In order to get an overarching Māori view, the committee has gathered recommendations made from the first two stages of the project. These will drive the structure of the subject list. In addition, consultation will be made with experts. The list aims to incorporate several Māori views.

Steven Lulich summed up by listing the outcomes of the project. The creation of a Māori subject list will:

• Assist Māori information seekers
• Provide authoritative information
• Establish standards specific to New Zealand
• Create consistent data
• Support interoperability

The project is unique and pioneering: our support is urged.

Te Puna Reo: building the country's first Māori dictionary

Haami Piripi, Te Taura Whiri, Māori Language Commission

For the 1800s Māori, writing was a new technology. Literacy overtook Māori and their own language was marginalised. Will current technologies do the same? IT is popular with Māori, especially with the young. But as the industry develops, will it move past and beyond Māori again? The challenge is to meet that situation by including and recognising Māori in innovation.

The goal of the Māori dictionary - Te Matapuna (fount of knowledge) - is to ensure the survival of the language. It will be used by both Māori and non-Māori, and will be crucial in creating an echelon of Māori who have reached their potential. As a monolingual dictionary, it is unprecedented. Being monolingual avoids the Māori language being benchmarked against the English.

The major difficulty, however, is a shortage of time. Many intelligent tohunga have died, while many of the younger generation are disconnected from their culture and language. The dictionary aims to capture as much information as possible before elders die, tapping into living language communities and speakers.

The dictionary will cater to the new demands required of Māori language speakers. There are increasing numbers of speakers, but they must develop greater depth of understanding and proficiency. The dictionary will allow Māori to express, define and conceptualise within the world of their own language.

Writers on the dictionary team gather information from scholarly sources, but the colour comes from communities. Data is entered into a template, which has 33 fields to describe each word. Presently, 12,000 words are 'banked', ready for editing. Training in lexicography and linguistics is given back to communities, as this sort of expertise has waned. By taking language back to the community from where it came, the project is not a 'keeper', but is a taonga.

The dictionary's first mission has been to capture linguistic information. An IT infrastructure must retain this information and set in place possibilities for capturing more. Pathways need to be established for ease of access to information, and at the same time, protocols will be put in place for cultural safety. More scholarly support is needed.

In conclusion, the dictionary will provide a whole picture of language. The NDF functions as an infrastructural safety net. In turn, those from the dictionary project encourage the aims of the Forum, the inclusion of Māori language in digitisation, and can help with bilingual websites and translations.