PSA

[labellementeuse]

Dear wider world:

"maori spirits": not universally evil, also, not often called spirits. Also, Maori do not have shamans or medicine men or live in teepees, and they never have. Ever. Kaumatua is not a difficult word to find and it would be so much better than shaman, thanks.

Also, enough of the soul-eating Maori monsters!11!!1. If you want to incorporate that aspect of Maori culture, great, good for you, but get it right. Otherwise, don't use it in fic, don't use it in fanworks, and DON'T, DON'T, DON'T use it in actual published work - and published only a few years ago, I might add - that you want to get money for. (*cough* Gotham Knights 16-17. The thing that pissed me off the most about them is that it was half-right- some (some) of the art was pretty good (and then some was awful. There's a whole goddamned wiki page on ta moko and it even has pictures! But it is fairly recent, so.)

And may I just add? I know next to nothing about Maori culture and history, I don't speak te reo and I don't even know my mihi. So if I can tell that it's appalling, so can everyone else. JUST SAY NO to using a culture you know nothing about.

NO LOVE
Me

This PSA was brought to you by Gotham Knights 16-17 (Devin Grayson, Roger Robinson), and then seeing it once to many times as a gimmick. And I really like GK, so it pissed me off more than normal. NO MORE EATING BRAINS, WORLD, OKAY?

ETA: THIS IS ME PUBLICALLY DEFENDING keymash's HONOUR, BY THE WAY. I was busy sleeping when she was being given the inappropriate smackdown by my brother and his friend, who are clearly unable to distinguish IRONY from LJ comments. So, *ahem*, I have known keymash for, like, at least over a year and she was so totally making a joke oh my god. A satire, even. *shakes head*

That said, I am sort of glad because that was very funny.

Comments

[amphibious-one.livejournal.com]

Yeah... writing about what you know is the only answer. Nonetheless, I think it's kinda cool people are taking an interest (of whatever kind) in the culture.

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Even better: use tohunga, as in, the actual Maori for priest/wise man/what have you. Google is your friend. Don't be afraid of it.

*fumes*

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

...Um.

Why do they not research? It is not that difficult, surely?

And it sounds so much better if research is done.

I know the basics, but even so. *annoyed*

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Well....yeah, but if they portray it as basically indistinguishable from generic Native American culture (or generic NA culture as portrayed in fiction, anyway, since I know that's been screwed over as well) then what's the point? They're not taking an interest in the culture, they're cherrypicking a few images and concepts and making it unrecognisable.

[disturbed-kiwi.livejournal.com]

Please, where do I find this atrocity? I want to read and laugh and learn thigns to avoid in my young adult incorporating Maori culture contemporary fantasy...

[bad-mushroom.livejournal.com]

I can imagine that Native American culture and Maori culture are quite different. Hell, I can't really see how you can confuse the two. Even with the little I know about my own Native American heritage (and I'm an eighth or a sixteenth! I could fucking live on a reservation! It makes me sad how little I know) and the even less I know about Maori culture, they're...well, completely different. Gargh. Do your research, people.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

A MAORI STOLE MY HANDBAG AT STARMART YESTERDAY... PRETTY MAD AT THEM RIGHT NOW, TUI.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

I can see where you're coming from, but OTOH I've seen some people - mostly within an RPG context - become such slaves to true culture that their work becomes meaningless. When push comes to shove, real life culture is not actually suitable for fiction, and nobody is actually claiming to represent reality, so some compromise must be made.

Admittedly it's better to knowingly discard something because it doesn't fit the story than include it on the false assumption that it's true, but one shouldn't assume ommissions are from ignorance.

[rewihendrix.livejournal.com]

are you joking or are you just really racist? If it were an Indian person, would you be really mad at all Indians?

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

But then again, I can't picture them going out of their way to correctly portray a culture, especialy when 90% of the audience will be less informed than them.

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Speaking of Wiki, did you know that Gotham Knights are also 'New York's recent entry to the growing worldwide ranks of multiethnic and non-discriminatory rugby union teams worldwide.'

Wow

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Don't be mean Rewi, hes probably one of those 'intelectualy-emancipated' Wellington High racists.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

Yes! He probably is! Or - and stop me if this is an absurd theory - she's a girl who used to work with Tui, and she's making a joke - the Maori part, not the handbag part, on account of how that really did get stolen, and it really was by a Maori! But thanks for your intelligent insight, really.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

I work at Starmart. Do not even get me started on Indians right now.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

fdskjfhdsf also. What kind of boys do you know who have handbags :| seriously.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

jhsfjdkf HONESTLY. YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. LIKE SHARKS. :| will not make the mistake of bleeding^[1] in your journal again. in fear of them, Tui. in fear.





^[1]

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but they could spend ten minutes online and find out. Or set it somewhere else. Like wherever they thought it actually was. *snort* Shamans.

wish you would reply. am bored.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

Also. When you are questioning someone's intelligence, it is probably a good plan to spell-check your own comments!

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Sorry I totaly missed that I just have significant experience with Rewi getting fired up at people, and usualy boys. You realise you've unleashed a monster in him lol?

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Haha true, but then agin its not the worst depiction of NZ ever. I still have fond memories of the Wild Thornberrys episode where they came here and met a nice, friendy... Possum.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

:-< what a nice response. now I feel bad... it is no fun being sarcastic to nice people. forget I said sarcastic things, okay!

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Lol sad to me. DW about it but yea, Rewi = angry at things like that.
+ not to make you angry again but that IS quite a racial statement.

[keymash.livejournal.com]

fjkshlfhd I know that... still a joke... I would not have to explain this to Tui. Where is she. Why isn't she defending my honour.

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

Mm, good point. Possums are... not so friendly, no. Unless it's in that book I read for school in first form.

I suppose they used Aussie accents, too?

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Lol I bet shes sitting back, watching us argue and laughing :P