G. Parker and P. Hickling (The Weekend Sun, February 1) are using outdated dictionary meanings of the word indigenous.
It is now common scientific knowledge that the whole world was populated by human migration starting from Africa about 100,000 years ago. Every region in the world was settled by migrants. Australian Aborigines have not been in Australia forever. They migrated there from Asia.
Dictionaries that say that indigenous people had ancestors that had been there forever and did not come from another country are outdated. The United Nations recognises indigenous peoples as simply the first settlers in any region.
In reply to R. Baker, the beliefs of Maori in 1840 have been overtaken by modern scientific knowledge, and it is not disrespectful to Maori to say so. Radiocarbon dating led by Janet Wilmshurst covered 112 known sites of early settlement in New Zealand.
They were all settled by Maori. There is no reliable evidence of Moriori or any other residents in New Zealand before Maori arrived, which is why Maori are on the United Nations' list of indigenous peoples.
P Dey, Welcome Bay.
5 comments
ha ha
Posted on 08-02-2019 08:48 | By Mein Fuhrer
what a lot of closed minded bollocks
MF
Posted on 08-02-2019 13:41 | By waxing
I guess it's easiest to ignore the facts.
Indigenous
Posted on 08-02-2019 16:38 | By tutae.kuri
It is fair enough to call a people which has inhabited a country from prehistoric times indigenous. Maori have insinuated themselves into the United Nations which has little credibility in this area. As far as NZ is concerned, a Rimu or Kauri tree can be termed Indigenous however, all the Human beings in the country are indigenous only by reason of having been born here. I do agree that carbon dating to date, has not shown earlier inhabitants. There has been only a small sample taken ,though, and something may yet show up. Never say never. I like the word " outdated " P Dey, every old Translation of the Treaty seems to be "outdated "as far as you and yours are concerned. Even the Prime Minister doesn't seem to understand it. No wonder Iwi can pull the wool over the eyes of Parliament.
t.k you confuse native and indigenous
Posted on 11-02-2019 12:13 | By Peter Dey
t.k people who are born in new Zealand are native New Zealanders not indigenous. Maori, the original settlers, are indigenous. The UN is more credible than anybody commenting here.
The Martinez Cobo Study
Posted on 12-02-2019 08:41 | By R. Bell
It may help tutae. kuri to study the above report. There is no magic to the word indigenous. A brief extract from the 1981 report to the U.N. studying the problem of discrimination against indigenous people states in part,"Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having an historical continuity with, and pre invasion and pre colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing on those territories or parts of them". Endorsed by popular vote at the United Nations, and a pre cursor to the Declaration on Indigenous rights that Maori are very much a part of. Robin Bell.
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