Abstract
Gibson, Kelly. (1999). Māori, Women and Dual Ethnicity: Investigating Pathways of Identity Development.
The purpose of this thesis was to explore some of the pathways that have contributed to the participants, who are able to claim dual ethnicity, identifying themselves ethnically as they do. Nine women aged between 20 and 30 were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The methodology and analysis of the interviews was qualitative. A range of areas were explored in the interviews and material from the interviews was reported under four major areas. These areas were: Identity, Support, Expectations and Women.
All of the participants were able to claim membership from more than one ethnic group but at least included Māori. Many terms have been used to describe people who are able to claim ethnicity from more than one ethnic group. My preference is to use the term 'dual ethnicity'. How the participants identified themselves ethnically ranged from having dual ethnicity to identifying strongly with being Māori.
The non-dominant side of participants dual ethnicity (such as being Māori) presents a range of issues that must be dealt with in order to become secure in one's ethnic identity. For many of the participants identifying strongly with being of Māori descent evolved from a 'sense of loss' and the occurrence of a critical incident which has acted as a catalyst for exploring their Māori heritage. A major finding that emerged from the interviews is that in most instances being identified by other people was not congruent with how the participants identified themselves. For some participants this meant being identified as non-Māori by both Māori and Pakeha as many do not have 'Māori' physical attributes. This was viewed as being problematic by a number of participants. However, having fair skin and being perceived as Pakeha was also considered to be an advantage as it meant some participants were able to 'pass' as Pakeha to achieve certain things.
When one identifies as Māori there are certain expectations held by other people. For most participants the notion of being a 'real' Māori does not rely on looking Māori and being able to speak fluent Māori. For most of the participants having Māori whakapapa is the most essential element on which to base their identity. Being able to speak the Māori language fluently was not viewed as being pivotal to one's identity as Māori. However, in saying that some of the participants have begun to learn the Māori language.
It was intended that this research would provide information about identifying with dual ethnicity. However what appears to have emerged is that within a New Zealand context many of the women identify strongly with the history and ancestry as indigenous people of Aotearoa. It is hoped that this document will be accessed by other women who are in a similar situation to the participants of this study, so that they may know they are not isolated in their identity struggles and that there is no one 'correct' way to being a woman with dual ethnicity. |
Community Psychology