Category: Week-11
Week 11 Blog Post: Looking at Mana Wahine and Decolonisation
The concept I believe I have responded best to this year is the concept of Atea.
The concept of Atea
Atea refers to the ideas associated with a shared formal space that is governed by a formal Tikanga in order to participate in social and spacial encounters that create and promote conversation.
For the Atea concept in the screen paper, I focused on the subculture of Mountaineering, and in the above piece (Figure 1), I examined the almost god-like status Sir Edmund Hillary has achieved in both New Zealand society and Mountaineering culture. The mountains form a crown around his head which represents his role as the man who first conquered Everest alongside Tenzing Norgay, and the use of black and white imagery draws back to the time period of when Everest was first climbed.
The above image relates strongly to the lectures discussion of decolonisation. Sir Edmund Hillary had a strong presence in Nepal, and helped communities throughout the region through his Himalayan Trust charity. This included building schools and wells, which encouraged the culture of the native Nepal people. Through Hillary’s support of Nepals people, a lot of their customs and culture are now respected much more by the many mountaineers and tourists that come to the region, compared to the past where the Nepalese were often treated very poorly by Western climbing parties. Of course there are still issues in the region in terms of culture and respect, Sir Edmund served as a great example of how the people in the region should be treated, and continues to be a great role model to both New Zealanders, and other mountaineers even after his passing in 2008.
Citations
“Himalayan Trust New Zealand.” Himalayan Trust New Zealand. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
Moorfield, John C. “Atea Defintion.” Māori Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
Daniel Shorrock 