The Guardian Declines to Publish
For those interested, here is a letter that was written two weeks ago to the editor of The Guardian - which they declined to publish – refusing, by the way, to give a reason.
Matariki marks the mid-winter rising of the Pleiades star cluster, signifying a time of beginnings and endings, coming together, remembrance of the dead, and planting of crops. The article says that Māori leaders hope that the country learns more of the history behind Matariki, in which the positions of the moon and stars are the foundation for understanding almost every aspect of the natural world.
Indeed, we should learn about the celebration’s origins, but those of us who have undertaken studies in geophysics and astrophysics assure the casual reader that the positions of the moon and stars most certainly are not the foundation for understanding most aspects of the natural world. Māori knowledge included weather and environments, planting patterns and the movements of fish. However, no traditional knowledge provides much explanation on how and why such phenomena occur. Unfortunately, traditional knowledge rarely goes beyond trial and error and accumulated observation, often conflates understanding and knowledge, and generally fails to bring the explanatory power provided by world science. Such knowledge was transmitted orally, without books, and therefore it is somewhat fatuous to have asserted that Māori books had to be hidden in order to be preserved.
We are told that New Zealanders are hungry to know more about the Māori understanding of land, skies and seas. Many of us really are keen to learn about the knowledge of indigenous communities. However, we draw the line firmly at taking any form of traditional knowledge as equal to the science of the twenty-first century and we fight against the present unrestrained acceptance of traditional knowledge within education, medicine and science.
Link to the Guardian article:
6 comments:
Typically - the Left wing media simply will not publish anything that contradicts their Marxist, woke policies.
A holiday is a holiday is a holiday.......... any excuse will do! Hey, does taking the day off amount to acknowledging the validity of Matariki? Nah.........
Do the supporters of traditional knowledge prefer it over modern if they become ill with e.g. cancer or heart disease?
The Guardian prefers low grade content from the NZ Broadcasting School
- says it all really
Matariki has become more than just a celebration of a Maori tradition but is incorporating Maori animism, myths and spirit worship of gods.
Combined with this seems to be a desire for primitivism with the belief and illusion of the noble and peaceful native. A pure idyllic state of natural goodness of the natural posed against the civilized industrialized and sophisticated European man. These are world views which absolutely should not be forced on anyone else. Polynesian societies were historically recorded as among the most oppressive of all with constant fighting.
Western science has freed us from much drudgery and discomfort through its application into useful technologies. We have been given spare time and comfort to indulge in enjoyable pursuits. and improvements in well being. In contrast Cancel culture which dismisses any good in western culture is judgemental,vengeful and unforgiving.
What a load of old bollocks. Who 'came together' precisely? For it surely wasn't Maori 'as a whole' as it's portrayed. The only time they came together in any significant numbers was when war was afoot, and any celebration was typically at the ultimate cost of others, who provided the ingredients for the victory banquet.
And if their knowledge was so comprehensive and wonderful, why was life at an all-but subsistence level and declining before colonisation began in earnest?
You're right chaps, it's way past time we dispensed with the fairytales. But, no, it's full-steam ahead, for we have He Puapua to embrace - all aided and abetted by our legacy media. What a sorry tale NZ now represents.
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