Te raweketanga o ngā mātauranga Takatāpui: Constructing a Review of Knowledge from Fragments

Abstract

This article considers how peka (fragments) of indigenous Māori knowledge that suffered the impact of colonial bowdlerisation and erasure (Pouwhare and McNeill, 2018; Pouwhare, 2019) may be discussed within a contextual review of literature. The indigenous practice-led doctoral thesis that resources the article asks: ‘How might an artistic reconsideration of gender role differentiation shape new forms of expression in Māori performing arts?’ Specifically, this study is concerned with generating and understanding spaces where the principles of takatāpuitanga (sexual orientation) and irarua/irarere (gender fluidity) might find purposeful expression within an indigenous Māori world view. In addition to reviewing existing literature, the thesis also involves interviewing takatāpui tane (Māori gay men) and Māori scholars as it seeks to exhume or contextualise fragmentary knowledge.