Embodying Culture: The Second Māori Renaissance

There’s a difference between studying a culture and living a culture. When we put more

energy into studying our culture than embodying it, we may as well place it in a museum —

preserved, admired, but no longer lived. Too often we study our own culture,

then walk away and live inside someone else’s. We talk about this moment as the second

renaissance. You mentioned the first being language, and I agree — but I think the second

wave is tied deeply to spirituality and to our atua. Our atua remain vibrant and active

when we are in relationship with them. And the platform for that relationship is our tikanga,

our ceremonies, our everyday practices. The way you understand Tangaroa is by being in Tangaroa.