Starlight, Starbright, Maori Stars we see tonight...

Our little whanau sat up on a Wellington hill in silence for a while, watching the small cluster of stars sparkle off in the distance, fuzzy and faint but very recognisable. 

We have just seen Matariki, so Happy New Year whanau.  Nga mihi o te Tau Hou. 

With Matariki came a flurry of hurried activity, especially with the cold winds, snow and rain pushing some of us indoors.  There have been early morning karakia and kai hakari, exhibitions, tree plantings, hangi competitions, kite flying, poetry recitals, photo displays, garden dedications, concerts, screenings, a prized Maori doll collection all the way from Torere, early seminars and wananga held to remember, commemorate and celebrate Matariki as our Indigenous New Year.

At this time we here at TangataWhenua.com want to extend our condolences to all whanau who have lost someone in the past year; to the whanau of Witarina Harris, of Peka McClean, of Thelma Heihei.  At the same time, we would like to welcome and congratulate new whanau who have joined and are about to join us.  There is lots to be thankful for, yet much to improve and so over the next 12 months, we will continue to dedicate ourselves keeping whanau connected, to assist in bridging the digital divide and to report the many positive Maori stories, locally, nationally and internationally.

A Revolutionary Star - Matariki is marked as much by its skyward appearance as it is by the cold winds and winter rains that follow.  Tonight was itself especially cold, pushing the large group who were waiting outside Rutherford House to hear a legend, a Queen of the Revolution, Professor Angela Davis, closer together.  Professor Davis was here in Aotearoa for the first time, speaking in Auckland and Wellington, and was only in the country for 3 days.  Several hundred people now stood in line, hoping to get a seat in the audience, to listen to a woman who epitomised the fight of poor people of colour everywhere and who inspired generations of social activists, feminist academics and students of communism worldwide to "fight the power".

This introduction was on a pamphlet:

Born in Alabama in 1944, Angela Davis is an African-American philosopher who was associated with the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the Communist Party of the United States of America. She first achieved nationwide notoriety when she was linked to the murder of the judge Harold Haley during an attempted Black Panther prison break; she fled underground, and was subject to an intense manhunt. After 18 months as a fugitive, she was captured, arrested, tried, and eventually acquitted in one of the most famous trials of recent U.S. history.  Angela Davis is currently Professor of History of Consciousness at the University of California and Presidential Chair at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  Professor Davis' research interests include: feminism, African American studies, critical theory, popular music culture and social consciousness and the philosophy of punishment (women's prisons).

As a young fulla, I learned that a man named Malcolm X spoke plain and clearly about how racist systems across the World enslaved peoples and entrapped human potential, all because of the colour of a persons' skin.  This echoed deeply as my mostly brown neighbourhood suffered daily, each household struggling to make ends meet and fighting just to receive basic care and respect.  Then one day while reading a book about those who took up the teachings of Malcolm X, there sat two photos of renown and repute – the first was of Huey P Newton in the wicker chair holding a spear and rifle; the other was of Angela Davis, her afro hair-style as provocative as the full fisted salute of Black Power (which was seen around home every other day).  It is therefore fitting that tonight, Nikolasa, Atutahi and I were to be in the same room with Angela Davis, to listen to her speak and to be challenged once again.  (Mind you, just getting in was no mean feat.  There were about 400 people in the main hall, another 100 in a smaller room (being connected though a tv and audio feed) and another 200 people were turned away). 

This was indeed a rare moment – Professor Davis was warm, open and made an immediate connection with the very mixed audience.  While her reputation was born in the heated struggle of the 1960s, she had remained at the forefront of human rights advocacy, seeking the abolition of prisons as a means of punishment.  Using the philosophy of consciousness, Professor Davis challenged our current thinking on prisons and asked us to think critically about the connection between prisons and colonisation; she made cross-references between the political use of jails, both during the days of Martin Luther King Jnr and today with the War on Terror and the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  There were links between global capitalism and the need for prison stakeholders to expand their business (effectively "producing" criminals) and she mentioned that the fastest growing sector in prisons worldwide were female prisoners.

The Prison Industrial Complex had to be challenged .  A few times during the evening, Professor Davis talked about how America had become the World's Police and Jailer and that this posed significant national and international problems, seen most recently with the abuse by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (WARNING, images SHOULD offend).  There was special mention of the military, the policies of George Bush (which were largely started by Bill Clinton, she pointed out), how many poor African-American youth joined the armed forces to open access to jobs and education, but mostly as a way to keep away from gangs and out of prisons.  There was talk about the extensive gang culture in prison and how sometimes, it is our own attitude which needs readjusting (think prisons, think criminals, think punishment – but why?)  And somehow, someway, Paris Hilton even got mention…

Some thought-provoking statements were made by the audience; some deploring prisons as structures of patriarchy and exploitation, others wanting Professor Davis to recommend a blueprint for creating an alternative to prisons.  She first suggested that no human should be seen as "inherently evil", reminding us that only a dispassionate World could render some people obsolete and that this capitalist democratic system we live in today may be more the problem than the solution.  She then encouraged all activists, both young and old, to come together, to work out new strategies on decarceration (click here for the Department of Corrections take on this issue) and decriminalisation, to build a movement which looks at issues of transgender issues, gender and cultural segregation and to educate ourselves not to fear the new world order.  “We need to work on alternatives, away from possessive individualism, and instead to dream one dream as a community”. Professor Davis spoke for over an hour and a half and you could tell people wanted more.

After the formal talk and acknowledgements were made (much thanks to Amokura, Nga Pae O Te Maramatanga, Va'aomanu Pasifika: Samoan Studies and Pacific Studies, Te Kawa a Maui: Maori Studies, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Victoria University and the Maori Party), hundreds of people made their way to meet in person someone we had only just read about. 

She smiled, took photos, signed books and seemed really happy to be amongst us.  Even outside the auditorium, there was lots of buzz ~ I could see numerous groups starting to form, networks merging, contact details being exchanged and activists deep in conversation.   We made our way out into the cold Wellington night, totally energised but also, posing our own questions like what would a prison-less world look like and how do we learn more about the Prison Industrial Complex?   We will be following this and other prison-related issues in upcoming issues of RANGIKAINGA.  For now, we would like to wish Professor Angela Davis safe travels as she leaves to Australia tomorrow, say thanks to all who made the evening possible, show gratitude to Te Anau Tuiono and Gareth Seymour for letting us know about the evening and if you want to discuss these issues more, please send us an email here.  Nga Mihi o te Tau Hou, whanau.  Have a great New Year this year!!

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We'd like to welcome a new and exciting sponsor to TangataWhenua.com. With the rise of Matariki its time to think about improving ones health and fitness in an effective, efficient and safe way for Maori and non-Maori alike.

Vibra-Train is a unique training programme that can help tone and build your overall athletic ability, can assist with lymphatic drainage, increases and/or maintains bone density and can help balance out hormones in a 10 minute workout.

Vibra-Train is a NZ company, with NZ made machines, and importantly, Vibra-Train on Dixon Street is Maori owned (3 directors).

This Thursday marks the first year Vibra-Train on Dixon Street has been in business (congratulations whanau!). As we know from experience how hard it is to keep a good business up and running, we would like to commend these young entrepreneurs on their passion, dedication and enthusiasm.

They have a blog, where you can discuss the programme, find out opening hours and ask questions. Currently Vibra-Train are following some clients as part of an 8 week challenge to change their body composition.  Videos and photos will be uploaded soon.

So please whanau, you can take the first step along a path filled with amazing challenges and changes this year - you can even plan lunch time visits - and we know the whanau at Vibra-Train on Dixon Street will support you all the way. If you are in Wellington, you can visit the unique Vibra-Train studio by calling into 115a Dixon Street 04 382 9008 or wgtncentral@vibratrain.co.nz.

Good luck to the Vibra-Train Dixon Street whanau for their exciting venture!

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Google Maori - as we mentioned last issue we're excited about our recent Google Maori project. To date we have a team of 6 involved in the working group and would appreciate any one else who is keen to participate.

Last week, one of the world's leading linguists, Professor David Crystal, argued that the use of Welsh in online chatrooms and on websites has helped to make Welsh popular among young people, thereby contributing to its long term survival, he went on to argue that "the internet offers endangered languages a chance to have a public voice in a way that would not have been possible before."

He went on to say "It doesn't matter how much activism you engage in on behalf of a language if you don't attract the teenagers, the parents of the next generation of children." It is with these thoughts in mind that we urge you to be part of this exciting project.

No doubt the Reo is alive and well, you need only check out GenerationReo.com (Kia ora to Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu for this great initiative ) - which is also using their Bebo site to get the word out and connect with rangatahi Maori around the world. Clearly many are recognising the importance of digital communication and the internet in helping to strengthen Te Reo Maori.

We've created a Google Group which you are welcome to join. This Group will keep you involved and up to date with our progress. If you are interested or know someone who is interested please contact us email us by clicking here.

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Kia ora to all who have been forwarding TangataWhenua.com on to your friends and whanau. Remember the prize draw for that supa-fly Yummy Mummy taonga will take place on July 22, so you still have time to increase your chances to win, by forwarding, forwarding, forwarding :)