Animals of Aotearoa: Kaupapa Maori Summaries

This article summarizes Maori knowledge of a selected range of animals through the literature as a first step in undertaking research into the potential of incorporating Maori concepts into animal ethics topics for senior school and post-school biology education. This article is based on a critical Maori "reading" of existing literature, a writing process that both collects and analyzes data from available records, examined through a Kaupapa Maori (i.e., Maori-centered lens). The scientific category of "animal" does not exist in te ao Maori (the Maori world), so the approach taken below is to give an introductory synopsis of Maori knowledge of a sample of animals of Aotearoa, mindful that Maori "knowledge" includes and embeds a Maori understanding of ethics. This summary of Maori knowledge of animals is presented in six sections: kuri (dog), kiore (rat), manu (birds), ika (fish), ngarara (reptiles), and aitanga pepeke (insects/invertebrates). Key points emerge about Maori knowledge of animals, including a final point reflecting on the nature and status of a synopsis, a genre of particular relevance to Kaupapa Maori scholars studying Maori knowledge.