Sheridan Waitai and Robert Akuhata, from Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri present a koha - a large platter crafted from 45,000 year old swamp kauri from the Far North - to the First Global Ecological Governance Forum in Beijing
Sheridan Waitai and Robert Akuhata, from Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri present a koha - a large platter crafted from 45,000 year old swamp kauri from the Far North - to the First Global Ecological Governance Forum in Beijing
Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri has presented its Indigenous knowledge on endangered kuaka — the bar-tailed godwit — at a groundbreaking conference at a top Chinese university.
Ngāti Kuri and New Zealand were at the forefront of the First Global Ecological Governance Forum in Beijing last week, which saw the beginning of three innovations to international conservation.
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Flyway Science Symposium on Thursday opened with a presentation of koha crafted by Ngati Kuri for the EAAFP. It was presented by the chief executive of the EAAFP secretariat, New Zealander Jennifer George to the Party Chairman of the Beijing Forestry University (BFU) Hongyuan Wang.
The koha, a large platter crafted from 45,000-year-old swamp kauri from the Far North, the world’s oldest workable wood was brought onto the stage in front of an audience of 200 scientists, university professors and ornithology experts from around the world by Sheridan Waitai and Robert Akuhata of Ngāti Kuri. The koha included three carved ‘uku’ eggs crafted from rendered clay in their own polished wooden bowl representing the creation story of Ngāti Kuri and kuaka, the bar-tailed godwit.
Godwits/kuaka travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and nonbreeding grounds and Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri are presenting their indigenous knowledge on the migratory bird last week in China
The presentation was to acknowledge the relationship between the EAAFP and BFU and Ngāti Kuri’s special relationship with kuaka, the migratory bird that makes the longest non-stop migration in world. These gifts will be on permanent display in the Natural History Museum at the BFU.
“The gifting ceremony and exchange brought forward Indigenous people, our presence and relationships within the environment into visibility of the countries across the EAAFP that has mainly been focused on research and science,” Waitai said.
The Flyway Science Symposium was co-hosted by the EAAFP and the Beijing Forestry University. One of the main themes was “Indigenous peoples, communities and traditional ecological knowledge” with addresses by Waitai, Estelle Thomson (President of the Council of the Native Village of Paimuit) of the Yup’ik people of Alaska and Doctor Vincent (Billy) van Eitregt of (Ngati Rauru, Te Atiaunui, Tuhoe) Victoria University, Wellington.
Introducing the speakers George said: “We are not here just to explore science as we know it but to understand the wealth of traditional and Indigenous knowledge that sits in the Flyway that has yet to be fully recognised”.
“I am delighted that tribal leaders from my own country and Alaska have joined us, people whose culture, like China’s have existed for thousands of years”.
Bruce McKinly NZ DoC and Sheridan Waitai and Robert Akuhata, from Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri in Beijing
Waitai told the audience about Ngāti Kuri’s Te Ara Whanui Research Institute, Wai 262 and a code of practice for working with Indigenous peoples anywhere in scientific collaboration.
“Sharing traditional knowledge in a typically scientific forum created new understandings and appreciation for all knowledges” she said.
A Flyway University Alliance was launched on the first day involving universities across the Flyway from Alaska and Russia in the north, Mongolia and Bangladesh to the west, Australia and Massey and Victoria universities from New Zealand to the south and Japan and Korea.
On Saturday, a trilateral collaboration around the kuaka’s migration was initiated bringing together Alaska, New Zealand and China where the migration of the New Zealand Godwits rests on their northern journey in September each year at Yalu Jiang on the Yellow Sea. Although there have been connections between New Zealand and Alaska, this was the first time Yup’ik or Ngati Kuri had met people from Yalu Jiang.
Moderated by George the meeting agreed to move forward with shared values and develop a work plan proposed by Waitai.
“Although it is just a beginning, it has generated a hope for our kuaka and that we have a unity of purpose through diversity of practice,” she said, adding “the highlight for me was the discussion around community uplift and empowerment.”
■ Breeding in Alaska, the kuaka returns to Aotearoa and eastern Australia each year with about 80,000 of their whānau. These troopers take the longest non-stop flight of any bird because they do not rest or feed on the sea. Young birds make the same journey at just four months old.
