Spending the last four days with members of the Living Breath of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ and University of Washington students has been a huge privilege for me. Being able to share aspects of my culture with a group that was so curious to learn, listen, and participate in new things (no matter how foreign, including voraciously digging into some kina on their first day here!) has been wonderful. The best parts for me however were the cultural exchanges and the conversations they so generously shared with me throughout their brief visit. I know very little about the experiences of our Indigenous whanaunga on the other side of the world. Although so much was different, it was great to be able to share the things we had in common.
Indigenous Peoples across the globe share challenges as well as triumphs. We share commonalities in the ways we approach decolonisation, environmental degradation, and efforts to reclaim traditional food systems. However, it has also been fascinating to learn about the differences between us and our contrasting histories of colonisation, and how this alters the methods and strategies we use moving forward.
I recall one conversation I had with our guests over dessert (an NZ classic – the pavlova of course) on our final evening together. We were discussing our differing traditions surrounding the practice of weaving. I was talking about raranga (harakeke flax fibre) and whatu (cloak or fabric weaving), and mentioned how the Māori custom is to always gift the first piece we create. Charlotte then shared with me that in her Tseshaht/Nuu-chah-nulth cultures, the custom is the complete opposite – that the quality of our first attempt is inevitably not our best, and that in keeping hold of this first creation, the weaver is able to study its imperfections to learn from them in the future.
This exchange has lingered in my mind since our manuhiri left, and while reflecting on my experience during their visit I can better appreciate the importance of cultural exchanges such as these. The practice of gift giving (between and within cultures) should never be transactional. Rather, our gifts come to represent the respect, honour and appreciation we share for each other.
I would like to express my gratitude towards our guests for their presence, contributions, and willingness to share their knowledge and experiences with us. I also wish to acknowledge the importance of these reciprocal relationships, and their value in strengthening our collective efforts towards decolonisation and the advancement of Indigenous food sovereignty movements globally. I wish them all well on their differing paths, and hope that some time soon I am able to visit as manuhiri on their soil.