Taking indigenous theory seriously: Whakapapa and chevron pendants

Marshall, Yvonne (2020) Taking indigenous theory seriously: Whakapapa and chevron pendants. In, Thomas, Timothy (ed.) Theory in the Pacific, the Pacific in Theory. London. Routledge, pp. 299-328.

Abstract

Taking indigenous theory seriously means treating indigenous theory as theory, not data. Doing so will enhance its power to expand our understanding of archaeological objects and of archaeology more generally. In this paper I explore and employ the Maori concept of whakapapa, a concept both superficially similar to, yet fundamentally different from the genealogical and evolutionary concepts so prevalent in archaeological thinking and writing. Importantly, whakapapa offers a more open approach to connectedness than western genealogical approaches. In addition, because the telling of any whakapapa takes place in response to a specific context and objective, it is intrinsically ethically and morally engaged. Using the concept of whakapapa I explore 18 Maori rei niho, chevron whalebone pendants, about which little conventional archaeological information is available.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Download statistics