Whānau across the oceans

Malia Villegas from Fife, Washington is a 2008 Fulbright US Graduate Student who is currently studying policy and research for improving education of indigenous peoples at the University of Auckland, towards her PhD in Education from Harvard University. Since arriving in New Zealand in February, Malia has found many opportunities for knowledge sharing between her own Alaska Native culture and that of New Zealand’s Māori.

Malia Villegas

I am an island girl through and through, having grown up in various Pacific island communities in Hawai‘i, Alaska, and Guam, so I had hoped that my journey to the islands of Aotearoa (New Zealand) would feel familiar. In fact, it has been a home coming in so many ways. I travelled here to learn about the Maori higher education initiative, specifically the inspirational success of the effort to graduate 500 Māori PhDs in five years – which the Māori have achieved and exceeded since 2002. In Alaska, we just graduated our 21st Alaska Native with a doctorate, so we have a great deal to learn from the Māori about the value of a PhD and their vision for the type of scholars that will support the well-being of Māori people and communities.

Since arriving here in January, I have found a home amongst a community of Māori scholars across the country who have diverse sets of expertise, various research interests, and a commitment to education that has motivated me to continue to identify new expressions of Indigeneity in my own research. Being here, I have attended my first hui (gathering) with other Indigenous doctoral students, joined in at the annual National Māori Excellence Awards where newly minted doctorates are acknowledged and celebrated for their achievements, and participated in the launch of the first Indigenous graduate school at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi!

These Māori doctorates are setting a new tone for what it means to be a scholar as they work to be deeply community-based, nationally active, and globally influential while developing Kaupapa Māori Theory that has made available epistemological and methodological tools that are distinctly Māori. There is so much to be learned from this Māori movement about developing other theoretical tools from Indigenous ways of knowing, about community celebrations of educational success, and about the creation of tribal universities that I must admit my head is spinning most days!

While home is a special place because it encourages me to expand my learning about the world and about myself, it is also a place where I have responsibilities to my relations. In the realm of research, we refer to these responsibilities as reciprocity – the notion that research is not a taking of knowledge and resources, but a reciprocal relationship of ethical sharing and exchange. During my time here, I have come to recognize the great possibility that exists in the sharing of knowledge between Māori and Alaska Native peoples. Specifically, there are some insights we have gained about land rights through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act for economic development and for stewarding our precious resources that might be of use to iwi (tribal) leaders.

Additionally, our Alaska Federation of Natives convention – the largest annual gathering of its kind of Indigenous peoples in the States – where regional and village delegates convene to set political priorities might serve as a model of political organization for Māori political mobilization. To begin to facilitate this relationship, I have signed on as a volunteer for Dr Pita Sharples’ re-election campaign. In his role as co-leader of the Māori Party, Dr Sharples has made great strides in shaping the Māori political terrain and impacting political decision making on a New Zealand-wide level. I hope to facilitate a relationship between the Māori Party and the Alaska Federation of Natives that could offer insight about national political mobilization on our end and insight from Māori as to the possibility of having our own political party of elected officials in Alaska to carry out AFN’s priorities each year. Needless to say, I see possibility all around me for growing our collective knowledge about improving the educational and political opportunities for Māori and Alaska Natives!

Malia Villegas (left) shares a laugh with her fellow 2008 Fulbright US Graduate Students at this year’s awards ceremony

Aside from this learning, I have been deeply inspired and encouraged by the generosity, humor, and manaakitanga (caring hospitality) of the Māori people I have spent time with. People have welcomed me into their maraes and homes as a cousin, sister, niece, daughter, and treasured friend with no expectations except that I enjoy the beautiful kai (food) that is offered – the kūmara and kamo kamo are lovely! – share some stories from home, and promise to return again soon. I have been truly blessed to cross paths with these brilliant educators and committed leaders for even a brief length of time.

And while I already know I will return home with a richer appreciation of my own family, culture, and country, I am now more deeply committed to the promise of what can be created across communities, nations, and oceans. This experience has been a true gift, and I dedicate myself and my research to ensuring that the care and investment placed in me will benefit many other Indigenous peoples for years to come. Quyanaa (with great thanks and appreciation) to the tangata whenua and to my Aotearoa whānau; I can’t wait to host you in Alaska!