Whaea Alice once said: “I’m sick of reading stories written by Pākeha about Māori, I want to read stories about Māori by Māori”. Hearing this come out the mouth of such a prominent Māori/ Pasifika wāhine changed my world. Alice Te Punga Somerville is an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato(University of Waikato) and a Pacific, Māori and English studies enthusiast. She completed her PhD at Cornell University and is an esteemed alumni of The University of Auckland. She has held academic appointments all in New Zealand, Canada, Hawai’i and Australia and she is an amazing lecturer, author, writer and poet with wisdom beyond her years. Throughout her career she has challenged many texts, cleverly responded to authors and shown us how to use writing to change the Māori and Pacific narrative. She is quick-witted and precocious, as well as one of my favourite writers.
At 17 years old, I was a first-year student that always hovered around the common misconception that you should somewhat believe everything you read. However, hearing the fact that she was over of reading stories written about Māori and not by Māori and the reasons it erked her too, grew my want and passion to study further and create more by Māori, for Māori texts. It also encouraged me to use texts written by Indigenous peoples, to honour our work and use the Mātauranga of our people to take in our rightful place on the writer’s map. Moreover, Whaea Alice’s book Once Were Pacific: Māori Connection to Oceania where she speaks of how important Māori and Pacific Islander relationships are in relation to place and with each other and the ocean. I love that the book’s title is a play on the 1990 Novel Once Were Warriors, yet is turned to counteract the discourses that often link Māori and Pacific Islanders with violence. Whaea Alice tends to have a cheeky yet witty way of upsetting the status quo and subtly leaving the audience wondering. This is also seen in her book: Two Hundred and Fifty Ways to Start an Essay about Captain Cook. The way this book is set out introduces new facts and informative ideas on stories we think we already know. Her 250 points introduce several different perspectives which ultimately show us that our prior knowledge of Captain Cook and his endeavours was a single facet. I like this text because it gives you ideas to ponder. The beginning, the middle and the end of all are questioned as Whaea Alice has a way of reassuring the uncertain. I think this is a captivating theoretical and recurring theme throughout Alice’s mahi as history and time are hard to pinpoint. If we were to say a certain event was the beginning, where does that leave us now? Is there even a beginning and if you are wrong what is the consequence? Does research concern time? If the kaupapa for my research is based around Duality, I believe I am lucky enough that this is a recurring theme that doesn’t concern time but takes up space no matter the place. Duality is stagnant, it flows and connects, it’s funny in the sense that it stands in everything and it’s unnoticed until you point it out.
Whaea Alice’s methods of writing have influenced several of my research methods and approach to investigation, from her willingness to compare and contrast stories and ideas we think we know to questioning and challenging stories and their origin. She shows us that you can create your own combination in the way that you wish. Being able to pick apart ideas and find similar scholars that align with this idea has proven helpful in my research. This is something that has helped me and given me the confidence to progress in researching my topic. She has helped me to better understand that writing is a recount that holds several different perspectives and is allowed to be challenged. This has made me realise that I can control my narrative and use Māori and Pacific pieces to mould and appeal to my audience. I relate to Whaea Alice on a personal level and that is why I have chosen to honour her today. I am a proud half Māori, half Tongan student that takes inspiration from scholars who have paved the way for me to be able to understand the importance of living in both worlds. Walking comfortably in both Tongan and Māori culture at times can be a challenge but the vast amount of similarities make me understand that we have connections in every aspect of our culture. The way in which I now research and cull through the envious amounts of readings has changed because of the perspective Whaea Alice has bought to the table. I believe reading texts by Indigenous peoples reinvigorates our pūrākau and validates, commemorates and sustains Indigenous knowledge for future generations.
To conclude, I am grateful for the opportunity to commend this amazing wahine toa on her vast works throughout time. She has left an imprint on my research and informed many facets of my overall writing and studies. She has taught me many imperative lessons on what it is to be a Māori scholar and how to carry out your research. Writing is a tool, not a setback. Using knowledge of both English and Māori can do wonders for investigation and research. For those who haven’t held the grace to be taught by Whaea Alice, I am willing to share these four simple lessons that have helped me through my rangahau with you so, please keep them close to your heart and not worry there aren’t two hundred and fifty………yet!
Firstly, don’t believe everything you read – especially if it is written about Māori and by Pākeha. Secondly, it is okay to be witty with your words as long as you can back them up. Third, validate, appreciate and honour our culture and ancestors – read Indigenous and last but not least, writing is not a colonisers tool – use it to our advantage!
By Mia Kolo
Bibliography
Douglas, B., Hanlon, D. L., Te Punga Somerville, A., Ballard, C., Yu, H., Jolly, M., Ballantyne, T., Manganaro, C., Stevens, M. J., Steel, F., Matsuda, M. K. (2018). Pacific Futures: Past and Present. University of Hawaii Press.
Somerville, A. T. P., & Justice, D. H. (2016). Introduction: Indigenous Conversations About Biography, 239-247. Biography.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2020). Two Hundred and Fifty Ways to Start an Essay about Captain Cook. Bridget Williams Books.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2012). Once Were Pacific: Māori Connections to Oceania. University of Minnesota Press.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (1998). “Two Rivers Within Me Flow”: An Exploration of Mixed Race Writing in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English. The University of Auckland.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2017, March). Where Oceans Come From. Comparative Literature, 69(1), 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1215/00104124-3794579
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2010). Maori Cowboys, Maori Indians. American Quarterly. 62(3), 663-685.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2006). Nau te Rourou, Nau te Rakau: The Oceanic, Indigenous, Postcolonial and New Zealand Comparative Contexts of Maori Writing in English. A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirments for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Cornell University.
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2015). Unpacking our Libraries: Landlocked, Waterlogged, and Expansive Bookshelves. American Quarterly, 67(3), 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1353/aq.2015.0056
Te Punga Somerville, A. (2021, Feb 28). English Has Broken My Heart. E-Tangata. https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/english-has-broken-my-heart/Te Punga Somerville, A. (2021, May 23). Our Stories About Cook. E-Tangata. https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/our-stories-about-cook/
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