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The
Place of Takatapui Identity within Maori Society: Reinterpreting Maori
Sexuality within a Contemporary Context
Clive Aspin, PhD
Maori Sexuality
Project
International
Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Education
University of
Auckland
New Zealand
More than two hundred years after
the onset of colonisation, it is becoming clear that traditional Maori
society accorded great importance to sexual diversity in all its
manifestations. With regard to same sex relationships, there is mounting
evidence that these were not only condoned but that they played an
important role in the overall structure of Maori society. Evidence today
suggests that people in same sex relationship were revered within their
communities. Parallel evidence from other countries indicates that a
similar situation existed in other indigenous cultures.
This paper reports on the
findings of the Maori Sexuality Project with particular reference to a
form of sexual expression that has come to be known as takatapui. In
contemporary usage, the term embraces all non-heterosexual forms of
sexuality. In a historical context the term was used to describe ‘an
intimate companion of the same sex’. An analysis of contemporary and
historical information, combined with an understanding of the influences
of western colonisation, allows us to re-interpret Maori sexuality
according to the genuine needs and concerns of Maori society today. This
in turn will assist in healing some of the damage brought about by the
imposition of a colonialist interpretation of Maori sexuality. In the face
of ongoing colonisation, it is vitally important that an accurate view of
sexual diversity be disseminated so that Maori and indigenous communities
can embrace people sexual diversity rather than exclude those who are
perceived as different. This paper challenges communities to reflect on
our pre-colonial past in a way that will inspire us to embrace Maori who
identify as takatapui rather than exclude them.
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Los
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