There on screen stood some white man with the slightest touch of Aboriginal, no doubt on the payroll, mumbling through the standard script about "his land" and welcoming everyone to it. It struck me as ironic - half the people in the audience looked twice his age. Some had likely been living in Australia longer than this bloke has been alive, yet he’s the official gatekeeper of the land?
Out of curiosity, I jumped on YouTube and typed in "Welcome to Country". First video that pops up? A cringe production from Macquarie University. This didn’t surprise me; universities all over the world have gone full-blown woke.
Then I found "Controversial AFL Welcome to Country faces backlash over political tones." I’ve dropped the clip below if you want to witness the circus yourself.
I’ll be honest, the guy doing the Welcome looks whiter than Colgate. He’s standing there talking about sacred connections and ancestral land. It’s not just disingenuous, it’s laughable. More than anything, it reveals a deeper issue - the performative nature of these ceremonies is feeding division, not unity. It’s just as bad over there as it is here in New Zealand.
Brendan Kerin - 0% Aboriginal, 100% Professional grifter.
Culture, when it’s genuine, is powerful. However, what we’re dealing with now is a form of fatigue - Aboriginal Fatigue in Australia, and Māori Fatigue here at home. It’s the constant overexposure, the relentless identity politics, the ceremonial box-ticking that leaves people numb rather than enlightened.
While we’ve got our own issues here in Kiwi land, at least we’re not slapping disclaimers on every second documentary like this:
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this program may contain records and online resources of images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or print materials."
Imagine needing a content warning just to learn history.
Who is this really serving? Because it’s sure as hell not bridging any gaps - it’s deepening them.
I had actually finished writing this piece two days ago and had it all scheduled to send. I decided it was important to include the image below - Katelyn Vaha'akolo with the words ‘land back’ written on her hand. It’s a clear attempt to amplify the political message around returning land to Māori, using the visibility of sport as a platform.
While everyone is entitled to their views, there’s a growing trend of politicising sport in ways that divide rather than unite. Sport should be a space where people from all walks of life can come together, not one where separatist slogans are pushed under the spotlight. We’re constantly told to “keep politics out of sport”, yet the same people saying that are often the first to bring it in when it suits their own agenda.
Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.
9 comments:
Just a reminder. Rugby originated where. Look it up Vaha……
“ Culture, when it’s genuine, is powerful. However, what we’re dealing with now is a form of fatigue…”
Having long been exposed to the haka and increasingly alienated by its body language, imposition in trivial contexts and the apparent assumption that we were visitors to be challenged, I saw a video of NZ soldiers welcoming back two comrades, slain overseas and now returned to NZ, with a haka, and was powerfully moved by it - the only time. Context matters. Repetition dulls. Goodness knows what visiting dignitaries really make of it.
Dave Lenny
“ Culture, when it’s genuine, is powerful. However, what we’re dealing with now is a form of fatigue.”
Yes. The only time a haka ever moved me positively was a video of soldiers welcoming back to NZ the bodies of two comrades slain overseas. Otherwise, its frequent and time wasting use in trivial contexts, the frequent implication that the rest of us were outsiders in our own land and institutions, the extravagant and hostile body language was quite alienating. Context matters, repetition dulls.
What visiting dignitaries really think of it, who knows?
As part of decolonisation it will be necessary to stop playiing rugby union and league, football and many othet sports . They are assimilation
Katelyn Vaha'akolo - a fine Maori name?
Maori whatever --- yawn.... Just look at the bulging eyes on the Black Ferns - not pretty, just threatening, and aggressive. They know nothing else ! If they're being "nice" - yeah, right, they're manipulating you. Can't help themselves.
Yep. I turned on the rugby after the haka last night. And if they use our sport for their politics, drop them.
Perenara lowered the haka to the trash bin in his “adaption” during his last haka performance. Time to ditch the charade.
Has anyone noticed how the opposition to the ABs smug-smile when the ABs perform this relic. Laughing stock of rugby is the haka. Like all Māori carry on, ditch the haka from sport.
It's such a mature, adult-like look to pull faces and poke the tongue out?. Gesticulation can be useful, but really ???
It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Time these children grew up with their intimidation antics and realised that most of us are above it and that the world has moved on, to the extent that we even now have the wheel.
Post a Comment
Thanks for engaging in the debate!
Because this is a public forum, we will only publish comments that are respectful and do NOT contain links to other sites. We appreciate your cooperation.