Members of a Māori-led trade delegation were hosted by the Pequot nation.
Members of a Māori-led trade delegation were hosted by the Pequot nation.
OPINION
A Māori-led trade delegation embarked on a seven-day expedition (from August 23-30) to the United States to deepen connections with Indigenous communities. Led by Making Everything Achievable (MEA) and supported by the Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous and Tribal Ideas, the group included members from Aotearoa New Zealand, Hawaii, Australia and Samoa.
The Pequot nation has had a long history with Māori, travelling to our shores as whalers and inter-marrying. We learned from Arapata Reuben (a Ngāi Tahu delegate), that an early marriage between William Elisha Apes (a Mashantucket Pequot ancestor) and Mata Punahere (a Ngāi Tahu ancestor) in 1839 produced 600 descendants.
Our delegate cohort included indigenous entrepreneurs from varied backgrounds in hauora, Ngāpuhi history, emerging technology, business development, investment, youth development, publishing, venture capital and iwi asset management.
The trade delegation was entirely Māori-led, and we designed and built connections in ways that worked for us. Culture and relationships were central to the way we fostered business.
Members of the Pequot nation and the Māori-led trade delegation.
We were lucky to connect at a cultural level through a traditional welcome and cultural exchange at the museum hosted by chairman Rodney Butler and fellow council members. We were then invited to dance in the grand opening of their Schemitzun Feast of Green Corn and Dance, where over 30 different tribal communities came together to compete.
The relationship was initially fostered between Mashantucket Museum and Research Centre director Josh Carter and Edmund Hillary fellow Denise Chapman Weston, as we looked at ways to bring their ‘13 Moons’ story to life using emerging technology.
Maru Nihoniho, founder of Metia Creative, developed an initial prototype of Sky Woman (a digital meta-human), which formed a starting point for digital trade between countries.
The Pequots were a point of contact with Europeans at least 300 years before they arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand and were almost wiped out as a result. Through their innovation and knowledge, they have been able to rebuild as a highly successful Indigenous tribal organisation.
To be part of such an event was profound and initially felt at odds with the setting, as we stayed in one of the largest Indigenous-owned casinos in North America.
MEA director Kylee-Maree Dunn.
Gaming has been a core mechanism for the economic empowerment of the Pequot nation and has helped their 1600-member tribe grow from strength to strength. Their wealth as one tribe is more than the entire collective economic value of all New Zealand Māori iwi. The Pequot maintain a level of humility and kindness and reverence towards life, despite the odd juxtaposition of wealth creation and culture.
On the Pequot tribe’s reservation, they make their own laws, oversee their own police and emergency services and are the owners of their own economic engine, which was inspiring. To enable successful partnership opportunities, their chair ensured we were given access to procurement teams, lead decision-makers and the CEO of their casino to assist us in fostering business and trade opportunities.
Members of the Pequot nation meet with Māori delegates.
On behalf of New Zealand iwi, the New Zealand delegation were gifted an official citation by Senator Cathy Osten, representing the state of Connecticut and their general assembly, which reads: “In recognition of your tireless work on behalf of Māori and your dedication to preserving and protecting Māori history, culture and sovereignty. This provides us all the pathway to building meaningful relationships across nations. Thank you for joining with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in celebrating the Schemitzun powwow. We extend our heartfelt wish for your continued good fortune and success”.
The citation was signed by president Pro Tempore, Speaker of the House and Secretary of the State. This represents an advancement for inter-tribal trade that will pave the way for future generations.
The intention of our delegation was to connect and foster continued inter-generational relationships. I believe we all walk away with a much bigger dream regarding what is possible and a clear commitment to continue the work of bringing our gifts and strengths as indigenous peoples together, ensuring shared prosperity and the ongoing protection of our people and our planet.
It was an honour and privilege to have the time to deeply connect with one another, as well as be hosted as honoured guests by the Pequot nation’s mana whenua.
Kaye-Maree Dunn is the CEO of MEA and Te Aratini and led the MEA trade delegation.
