Maori Philosophy: Indigenous Thinking from Aotearoa

by Georgina Stewart

Covering the symbolic systems and worldviews of the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand, this book is a concise introduction to Maori philosophy. It addresses core philosophical issues including Maori notions of the self, the world, epistemology, the form in which Maori philosophy is conveyed, and whether or not Maori philosophy has a teleological agenda.

Introducing students to key texts, thinkers and themes, the book

- A Maori-to-English glossary and an index
- Accessible interpretations of primary source material
- Teaching notes, and reflections on how the studied material engages with contemporary debates
- End-of-chapter discussion questions that can be used in teaching
- Comprehensive bibliographies and guided suggestions for further reading.

Maori Philosophy is an ideal text for students studying World Philosophies, or anyone who wishes to use Indigenous philosophies or methodologies in their own research and scholarship.

Genres: Philosophy, Indigenous, Nonfiction

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2020

Reviews

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgina Tuari Stewart’s excellent Māori Philosophy manages that delicate balance between sticking to the rules of ‘doing philosophy’ while critiquing the premises of those rules. It is a clear, engaging and richly cast discussion of Māori ways of being, seeing and doing, framed by the conventional structuring tools of Philosophy-the-discipline, while highlighting the ways that discipline attempts to impose ways of thinking and analysing.

There is a small and fairly long running body of literature in Aotearoa/New Zealand outlining key concepts in the Māori world (te ao Māori) – and valuable as they are they are not designed or intended to draw out the wider network of concepts and principles that shape a wider way of being. The Pākehā philosopher John Patterson has done some work exploring those questions in his ever useful Exploring Māori Values (now nearly 30 years old), but Stewart’s work seem to be the first book length exploration of Indigenous thinking for Aotearoa as philosophy. Even if it wasn’t as good as it is, that would still make it a crucial text.

For the philosophers among us, there are three chapters exploring Māori ways of thinking through lenses provided by epistemology and ontology – that is systems of thinking and being for those not so au fair with the discipline – with attention to both ontologies of the self and of the world (to the extent that they are separable). Throughout these discussions Stewart weaves together ‘global’ (I’ll come back to the sneer marks) philosophical concepts with academic debates and scholarly engagements with te ao Māori and contemporary political and mediated discussions and depiction. This has the powerful effect of not only exploring these ontological and epistemological questions, it also sketches some of the key ways these have been constructed and framed in an academia where coloniality is a potent presence as well as reminding us of the currency and continuing character of many of those colonial modes. That is to say, in discussing ontology and epistemology, Stewart also critiques their applicability as discrete questions/issues in exploring te ao Māori. The ‘Māori knowledge’ chapter also explores some of those key concepts, but in a more nuanced, complex and subtle way than many of the ‘key concepts’ handbooks I have seen.

As useful and important as these three chapters are, and their insight and explanatory power is great, they are given extra power and critical form by the important opening discussion where Stewart unpacks the disciplinary power of academic framing by teasing out the distinction, explicit and implicit in the this book series (‘Bloomsbury Introductions to World Philosophies’) between ‘global’ knowledge – associated with Euro-(North)American philosophies – and ‘world’ knowledge – associated with Othered, ‘folk’ and other not-really-of-the-West modes. She draws that distinction ‘home’ by noting the presence of Māori Studies in the New Zealand university system, and the absence of Māori from that systems philosophy programmes. It is refreshing and fitting to see that the first book in newly launched philosophy book series challenges the basis of that series: the discipline is nothing if not critical.

The concluding chapter, then brings this analysis to life through an exploration of ways of writing (with) Māori philosophy (the parentheses are mine) through three case studies using different modes, including fiction genre to explore and unpack issues. As useful as these are – and all three are powerful – they might have benefitted from a brief outline of both pōwhiri and the 1979 haka party incident for readers for who these are less well known: it only needed a sentence or two rather than the slow emergence of the events – unless that too is the point of writing with Māori philosophy. It is a balance between exposition, emergence and the frustration of readers puzzled by what is happening that is difficult to strike. But this is a minor quibble only. The chapter itself unpacks vital contemporary and historic question, explores the potential of working in different genre and brings to life the concepts and issues explored earlier in the text.

I don’t know enough the subtleties and nuances of te ao Māori to know the extent to which the argument and analysis might be contest or disputed (I fully expect it would be – that’s what we do!), but I do recognise to power and insight of Stewart’s approach, the importance of its critical framing, the essential significance of the case that Māori philosophy is a vital force to consider, and its value especially in Aotearoa/New Zealand as a text to help build a better world. All these appeal to my not-so-inner philosopher.

For those reasons and more, I welcome and value this text.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book so valuable. Loved the "dial-a-pōwhiri" discussion and thought it was a brilliant analysis of the 'cultural vs corporate' Māori dilemma.

I think non-Māori would really benefit from reading - and truly digesting - this book, especially given the author has done us the honour of sharing her indigenous perspective. It really enlightened me on the difference between western information sharing (believes it's best to be transparent, accessible, open) and Māori information sharing (some knowledge is tapu and should be selectively shared lest it fall into the wrong hands). It's aways brilliant to challenge your own internalised beliefs and see there is another wat of viewing things.

Only reason it lost a star for me is that later in the book I felt some of it was a little repetitive and also had some abstract parts I found hard to follow.

[Anna Piphany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact this isn’t a solid 5 stars on here is just racism innnn my opinion, yes it was simple turanga for this subject as it is the first English public work on the topic. This book was so so insanely packed with information, so immensely valuable. I hope that she writes more books on Māori philosophy and goes off into all different nuances now that this tūranga is out of the way. Her whaakaro on pōwhiri was potent and I would love to see this expanded on more. Rich rich book I cannot praise this mahi enough Tēna koe Georgina

[Mikaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The research and perspective shared really depends on my understanding of Te Ao Maori.
Initially, the book I found to be daunting and challenging with the big words, understanding this book is someone's PhD, how ever persisting through the first part, you get to some good insights.
Awesome read 👍

[Robbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a PhD. There are a vast amount of extremely technical concepts, and ideas that reference other books which are introduced without explanation, which make reading all that much harder. Some concepts are extremely interesting but overall the book is hard work indeed.

[Henry Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read more like a primer on critical theory rather than on Māori philosophy. Incredibly academicised and inaccesible for anyone outside of the academy.

[cooper ✮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ - “Māori Philosophy” by Georgina Tuari Stewart

I found this book at my local library, and it turned out to be an amazing read. The way this book presents and references its material is impressive. Everything is grounded and well supported by research.

The world views between Māori and Pākehā were really interesting to read about in this book, I learnt a lot of new things from it. They highlight how Pākehā identity has historically been shaped by distancing itself from Māori identity, which helps explain why many Pākehā don’t have a detailed understanding of Māori thought. Stewart connects this to a wider sociological pattern: powerful groups often have the privilege of remaining unaware of the perspectives of those with less power, while the marginalized don’t get that luxury.

Another important part of this book for me was the discussion around “dial-a-pōwhiri.” Stewart explains how pōwhiri have become standard at all kinds of events like book festivals, motorsport gatherings, even state visits. But in many cases, the tangata whenua who perform the pōwhiri have no involvement in anything after the welcome and leave immediately once it’s done. Stewart points out that when this happens, the pōwhiri loses its deeper purpose and becomes more of a symbolic gesture than a meaningful cultural exchange.

It **is** a bit academic, so would recommend having some coffee before reading it in the morning though. ☕️

Overall, this was a very rich and insightful read and I look forward to continuing reading the recommendations from the author. :)

[Kayl Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what this book is, it indeed did a good job; just a damn shame that I didn't particularly enjoy it for what it is. It's rigorous, dense, and ultimately, a tough fucking read—especially for those outside of the academy or philopsophy circles—but it served its purpose of conceptualising many fundamental Māori idealogies. This being said, maybe I'm too pea-brained to comprehend philosophy of this level nevertheless, too egotistical to "truly consider" other perspectives, and lack any necessary attention span to critically evaluate the ideas presented, but I nevertheless thought a lot of concepts presented were weak, superficial, or seemingly impossible to agree with. I likewise have similar gripes with the structure—or seeming lack-of—within this novel; the overall division of the book made logical sense, but certain passages seemed out of place or less relevant to these divisions (other than the Te Ao Māori section at the front; this was an excellent cultural illustration). Regardless, this being my first introduction to philosophy, I definitely want to revisit after both becoming more immersed in Te Ao Māori and more philosophy literature, equipped with the recognition that I may not understand some concepts, or have been simply too bored by the book to truly care.

[Baxter Kamana-Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like it should be required reading for Pākehā in Aotearoa.
While it's not exactly an 'introductory textbook', it does a perfect job of providing an entry point from which to dive deeper into any of the domains it touches on (and it's very well-referenced, meaning those deeper dives are well within reach).

[Kaila Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic intro to Māori philosophy!! definitely started going over my head towards the end but that was only bc i'm dead tired and my brain isn't functioning at full capacity 😂 a brilliant place to start for anyone wanting to delve into te ao Māori

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s more than an introduction to Māori philosophy and way of thinking, it’s a must read for anyone trying to get their head around certain concepts. It breaks down some of the longer and bigger ideas into their core parts and makes them make more sense to a non-Māori mind.

[Sally Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking examination of Māori philosophy, drawing heavily on the author’s own experiences of being Māori today. Ambitious, contemporary and brave.

[Frazer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erudite and accessible. An essential read for those wanting to delve beneath the surface of Te Ao Maori.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of some relevant concepts and perspectives.