Congratulations to Assoc Prof Jenny Bryant-Tokalau
Jenny Bryant-Tokalau
Great News: Te Tumu’s Assoc Prof Jenny Bryant-Tokalau has just been appointed as Adjunct Professor in the School of Government, Development and International Affairs, Faculty of Business and Economics, at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. Even better news…This doesn’t mean that Te Tumu will be losing Jenny, who is the Coordinator of our Pacific Islands Studies programme, and Chair of our Postgraduate Committee. The USP position is an honorary one in recognition of her research on Fijian topics.
Click here for the Otago Bulletin story.
Inaugural Te Tumu Postgraduate “Thesis Games”
We all know how difficult it can be to talk about our research, particularly when we have to do it succinctly. Te Tumu’s postgrad students were put to the test today with our first inaugural “Thesis Games”, with each presenting their research within about three minutes.
Click to enlarge. From left, Tangiwai Rewi, Hori Barsdell, Lana Arun, Gianna Leoni, Marcelle Wharerau, Ane Tatu, Tyson Tautari, Suzanne Duncan, Tawini White, John Birnie, Marsa Dodson.
The topics were many and varied: Tawini White: “He Manawa Hapū” (on hapū identity in Te Rarawa); Tyson Tautari: “Dogs Tale” (on the Polynesian dog); Ane Tatu: “Are you Dongan or Tongan? An examination of the ways in which New Zealand born and raised Tongans self-define and experience anga fakatonga (the Tongan way of life) and being Tongan”; Hori Barsdell: “What is the Significance of Pā Today?”; Lana Arun: “Archaeology and Tikanga” (on how Māori knowledge fits into the archaeoly profession; Marcelle Wharerau: “You Maaris get everything” (on perceptions of Māori privilege at university); Tangiwai Rewi: “Maaku anoo e hanga tooku nei whare…” (on intergenerational knowledge transfer within Waikato); John Birnie: “What if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed? Learner-centredness for adults learning te reo Māori”; Marsa Dodson: “Mixed blessings: Oral Histories of the War Children Born to US Servicemen and Indigenous Cook Islanders”; Gianna Leoni: “Power to Policy” (on the use of te reo Māori within government departments); and Suzanne Duncan: “Where is the whanau?” (on whānau involvement within the Māori economy).
Professor Michael Reilly, Dean of Te Tumu, and the PhD winner, Gianna Leoni.
There was a great turnout of people, including a number of Te Tumu under-graduates. All the speakers were amazing and engaged the audience. Congratulations to the winners: Ane Tatu for Honours level, Marcelle Wharerau for Masters Level, and Gianna Leoni for PhD level.
Such was the success, Te Tumu is sure to hold another such event next year. There is even talk of something similar for staff.
Special thanks to our judges, Shiobharn Smith, Māori, Pacific & Indigenous Subject Librarian, and Esme Eteuati, Pacific Islands Student Support Officer (Humanities).
Dr Karyn Paringatai’s success celebrated.
Te Tumu lecturer, Dr Karyn Paringatai and Professor Harlene Haynes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Otago.
On Monday night, the Vice-Chancellor celebrated Te Tumu staff member, Dr Karyn Paringatai’s success, with an event attended by many people from within the university, including Te Tumu staff and students. See the Otago Bulletin story here.
Indigenising the Academy – performing Ngoi Pewhairangi’s “Whakarongo” in the University of Otago’s Council Chambers to celebrate the success of Dr Karyn Paringatai.
Karyn won New Zealand’s top tertiary teaching award recently in Wellington, the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, based on utilising the pre-contact Māori pedagogy of teaching in complete darkness, which has proved to be outstandingly successful in her performing arts paper, MAOR108 Waiata: Te Tīmatanga. Listen to the Radio NZ interview and Dunedin Television item in which Karyn explains her teaching practice.
Karyn has undertaken significant research to ensure that her teaching in the dark, and has just published on this ‘A Return to the “Dark Ages”’ in the journal Akoranga 10 (2014).
Just this week Karyn also employed the same methods in a guest lecture for the 900 students of MAOR102: Māori Society, showing that this pedagogy can be applied to more than just performing arts. She is planning to continue to use and develop “teaching in the dark” and publish more on this research.
Seminar Video: Killing Demons and Cultural Collisions
A Te Tumu Seminar by Megan Pōtiki, 16 July 2014.
“Killing Demons” is the title of a detailed account of tapu clearing activities that occurred at Ōtākou in 1865. The diary extract was written by H.K. Taiaroa. This account is an incredible example of a collision of fundamentally different religious beliefs. Christianity and Christian prayer meets one of the significant Māori demi gods.
New book on the value of the Māori Language
Te Tumu staff member, Associate Professor Poia Rewi and Professor Rāwinia Higgins of Te Kawa a Māui (Victoria University of Wellington) have released an edited collection, The Value of the Māori Language: Te Hua o te Reo Māori, with Huia Publishers. The book features 25 essays from an illustrious field of Māori commentators, responding to the question ‘What is the value of the Māori language?’ more than twenty five years after the passing of the Māori Language Act.
The book was launched recently in Wellington at an event attended by many of the big names of Māori-language education.
This publication is one output emerging from Poia and Rāwinia’s three-year project, Te Kura Reo – Waiora, research funded by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.
