Activity C: Grow our love for mahi kai
Tend with reverence our relationship with food systems.
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He pitopito kōrero “There is an entire network of core values that is supported by mahi kai. Mahi Kai encompasses your rohe, your identity, your culture, your relationship to food, your knowledge about food, in fact your knowledge about yourself. I think because we have become so accustomed to buying our food from supermarkets our network has become quite monoculture. And we’ve become dependent upon a system.”
The food sovereignty movement supports the development of food models in which we eat food that we have had a hand in growing, gathering, or harvesting. If there is one thing we would love this resource to do, is to encourage you to get outside and connect with te taiao. One of the most rewarding and sustaining ways we can do this, for ourselves, our whānau and our community is through mahi kai, the work of growing or gathering food. Whether it is establishing a māra kai, going hunting or trapping, heading out for a fish, or simply harvesting some pipi, gathering and growing food to sustain ourselves is a fundamental way to remember your place in the web of life. |
Watch Dr Matāmua talk about food sovereignty and mahi kai.
Check in with the elders and experts around you before you get going. There is a lot of lived and practiced expertise that is embodied in those that have been doing mahi kai for a long time. Observe, listen and learn. There is much to be said for soaking up the wisdom of those who have already worked out some of the difficulties of growing and gathering kai.
Begin your growing journey by considering the Māori deity of soil, Hineahuone. Make sure any actions you take with your community uplift the mana of soil rather than undermine it.
Cloak your soil with dense and diverse plantings. Depending on the season of the year – you may be able to plant and then record the growth of your vegetables. You could do this by taking a series of photos, drawing pictures, measuring their height and width, or by writing a story.
Share your māra kai with others, and inspire others along on their growing journey! You may like to create an infographic, social media reel, or poster about the benefits of growing your own māra kai.
Create a map of your local food landscape. Where are the places that you could forage, gather and harvest kai from? Are there public spaces that you could turn into food forests?
Te Papa holds a vast array of fishing lures, nets and tools for hunting. Engage with a local fishing expert or hunting guide and check out the ways in which technology has changed these tools for gathering kai. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these technological improvements?