Congrats to New Zealand for the defeat of the Treaty Principles Bill.

no settler comments

I've been wanting to write a post about the response from a lot of settlers to Hana Rawhiti protesting with the Haka in New Zealand parliament the other day. Two things I've noticed:

1. Clips start at the beginning of the Haka, and are missing out where she calls "Kāwana, ka whakamanuwhiritia koe e au!"*
[Government, you exist by my say-so and I hereby revoke your rights!]**

2. Clips are inundated with comments from settlers declaring that they "don't know why, but I always end up sobbing when I see a haka dance!"

And, well I have thoughts about both points.

But I really want to write something about those settler tears are people feeling the dearth of their own culture in the face of a moment of pure and direct connection to Culture , and how you can't expect to have a culture to connect with if all your people have done for hundreds of years is steal, rape, and murder.. but I don't have the energy to argue about it

_____
* Apologies if I've spelled this wrong

** I don't speak te reo Māori, this translation was from a Māori person on tiktok

I SWEAR TO EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IN THIS WORLD...

..if I have to see one more video of Hana Rawhiti doing the Haka in New Zealand parliament I'm going to also watch that one over and over again too