Origins - Festival of First Nations
Participation and Learning: Origins – Heritage of First Nations
Working with London’s Maori community and young people in schools, the Origins Heritage project deepens participation in
and understanding of the heritage of the London Maori, with a particular stress on traditional ceremonies.
The first Maori
journey to London was in 1806, and there has been ongoing migration since then. The Treaty of Waitangi bound the relationship
between Maori people and the UK (especially the crown), and this continues today. Our heritage project will explore traditional
forms of ceremony, track how these have changed or adapted to life in London, and provide interpretation and learning around them.
These rituals and cultural practices help keep the heritage that the UK and Maori communities share a dynamic and living one.
For Maori, the past is located in front (i mua) of a person - the future lies behind (i muri) where it cannot be seen.
Maori, drawing on this customary knowledge, move towards the future with their eyes on the past, which informs their lives in
the present. The Origins Heritage Project recognises these ongoing relationships between the
past, present, and future, and works with them to generate learning, participation and conservation.
Contact:
Carissa Lynch
Presented in partnership with the City of London Festival Education, Ngati Ranana and Te Kohanga Reo.
Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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