October 28, 2022
Declaration of Independence challenge to colonial folk tales
It’s 187 years since the signing of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni – known in English as the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand.
It was signed that day by 34 northern chiefs and British Resident James Busby, who was concerned at Frenchman Charles Philippe de Thierry’s plan to proclaim an independent state in Hokianga.
Maori laywer Dayle Takitimu says while the document is often seen as having only limited value in that it puts some context around the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi five years later, she believes it dispels the colonial fiction that hapu and iwi needed rescuing by civilized powers.
“It’s the colonial fiction that hinges on this idea that we’re all about folklore and fairy tales but we weren’t really constructed as our own self-governing society. (With He Whakaputanga) we were exercising self-government and the government of today and every colonial government since 1840 has wanted to deny that,” she says.
Dayle Takitimu says Maori need to check what’s going to be taught about He Whakaputanga in the new history curriculum to make sure their tamariki aren’t fed the colonial kool-aid.