How Does a Transnational Approach Modify New Zealands Cultural History - Essay Example

? “How does a transnational approach modify New Zealand's cultural history? Is it useful?” Introduction New Zealand (hither after will be referred asNZ) can be called as a country of immigrants where indigenous tribal communities namely Maori and Pakeha are living there traditionally. The NZs first immigration policy can be revealed from the Treaty of Waitangi/ Te Tiriti o Waitangi,which was signed as early as 1840. This treaty was signed as a pact between the then British Governor William Hobson with some groups of Maori Tribes of NZ. The Waitangi treaty recognised the British Sovereignty in NZ and also offered protection to the interests of Maori’s in their traditional lands.The preamble of this treaty in Maori spotlights the creation of a government that would safeguard the interest of tribal community rangatiratanga. As per Brooking and Rebel (1995), NZs immigration policies customarily gave preference to European settlers especially from UK , Protestant Anglo-Celtic origins. NZ due to foreigner settlements , developed a new culture that materialized over centuries of relative separation, leaving from pacific cultures and adopting into the social cultures of hapu, whanau and iwi. This research essay will discuss about the culture , media , the urban society , the missionary and literary that prevailed in New Zealand in 1950 and will analyse how transnational culture has impacted the NZs culture . Culture Cross breed between Maori and Europeans were known as Pakeha. The signing of Treaty of Waitangi can be regarded as the founding stone of modern citizenship. The NZ was transformed into a major agricultural producer for UK due to the ingress of Pacific citizens in the late 1950s. Later , settlers from Asia also ingressed into NZ1. Maori pre-European culture was oral and footed upon small independent sub-tribes residing in harbours ,valleys , ridges and sculpted hills. Armed conflict stories are much available in the Maori tribal history.Both polygamy and cannibalism were the common features of Maori culture. Tools were made from stones which was known as pounamu and tuhua. For weaving and other purposes , flax was employed. Initial trade in these products was in the barter system. Natural resources like sea, forest and waterways were regarded as sacred and exploitation of these natural resources were under strict supervision namely tapu (holiness),and manna carried over by tohunga.(priests)2. Edward Ned Kelly was the leader of the Kelly Gang.Nel Kelly story was very popular in New Zealand through the ballads , folklore which praised the bush proscribers as the compelling character of freedom fighters and confrontation to the British authorities in NZ. In the 19th century , bushrangers were regarded as outlaws who frightened the bush country in NZ and Australia. The kelly gang was considered to the last generation of bushrangers in NZ3. “Cinemas, TVs & Radios” As per Department of Statistics (1975), there were about 600 cinema houses and 36.4 million cinema visitors in NZ in 1950.In 1950s, cinema admission rates were 2 shillings and 10 pence whereas today it is around 9.06 dollars4. Government owned TV New Zealand channels namely TV One and TV2 is free –to-air channels whereas Australian –owned TV 3 and its music channel is in operation in NZ. Some appealing foreign films and documentaries along with Maori subtitle and locally produced programs in Maori are being telecasted through Maori TV channel in NZ. In 1950, Kiwis paid an annual licence fee of more than ? 1 to the post office as the fee for such service as radio was under the state control then. Radio Sport is very active in sports news and commentaries. Radio New Zealand broadcasts current news and cultural programms and is available all through NZ. Local gigs are being broadcasted by the bNet, the student managed radio station,and new alternative music is being broadcasted by the Auckland’s 95Bfm. Tribal radio station namely Waikato’s Radio Tainui which has the country-wide network in NZ. Further , there are other players like Niu FM , Auckland’s Mai FM, and George FM5. In NZ, Wellington has been nicknamed as hollywood of NZ. It is also known as Wellywood. Wellywood is the home town of Peter Jackson, the famous Holywood fim director who directed the famous films like King Kong & Lord of the Rings. Prior to the 1970s , there was the non-existence of feature film industry in NZ.The film production in 1950s was under the auspicies National Film Unit (NFU) which adhered parameters of documentary pragmatism and pleasant stories characteristising the landscape of NZ. The Broken Barrier was a successful feature film produced under the auspices of NFU in 1952. The abrupt rise of national cinema in Aotearoa was responsible for the start of film production in the early decade which dilapidated in the 1950s6. The Chinese radio, TV , press and the Internet in NZ have a visible effect in providing Chinese communities some entertainment and promote cultural events and also buttressing the Kiwi’s insight of NZ as a multicultural country. “Nineteenth Century Urban Society“ The nineteenth century witnessed demographic class configuration in New Zealand’s oldest industrial periphery and its most thickly populated urban region, southern Dunedin. No much industrial activities were there in NZ in 1950s as the majority of the people resided in rural areas or in small cities, and no great job specialisation was available at that time. For working class, craft was more significant than class. However, in the urban areas, on the basis of prestige and income, there was ranking of occupation. The middle class of urban society of NZ consisted of skilled artisans, clerks , and shop keepers. The wealthier elite society was comprised of bankers, landowners, merchants, lawyers and doctors. Another class indicator is the owning of land in urban areas. Wealthy people resided in Maori Hill or on the City Rise whereas middle class resided in suburbs.7 Ellesmere is the best standing illustration of an elite urban building built in colonial Auckland in 1870 and stand as a monument for an urban duplex in Auckland.It accomodated around 1000 soldiers in the 1840’s and 1850s. It has historical significance as it transformed into an exclusive residential province for Auckland’s professional and commercial elite from that of urban area8. Due to Dutch migrants in NZ in 1950 onwards , there had been contribution by Dutches in the development of architecture , horticulture, restaurants , fashion and design industries. Due to large scale Scottish settlers in Dunedin and Kilt country , we can see even now the impact of Scottish culture in the city’s design especially in the Medical college and University. Further , NZ also adopted sport of curling , pipes bands and Scottish country dancing from Scottish settlers9. “The Missionary Position” Christianity is predominantly followed in NZ and majority of them comprises of Protestants and also Roman Catholics. In the early 19th century , there had been settlement of Christian missionaries in NZ. Transforming social mind-set in the 1950s , there had been far-reaching chanages occurred in by the Second Vatican Council which impacted the Catholic churches in NZ, which included the provinces of ecclesiastical and liturgy architecture. In the Cook island, in early 1800s, Christianity was introduced by the London Missionary Society.In the 1950s, the majority of the Cook Islanders ioined with the Pacific Islander’s Congressional Church. People approached the Church for guidance and welfare . Ministers of Churches helped the people to settle in NZ. The church services that were held in 1950s attracted about 100 to 150 visitors only. Many people in New Zealand joined the churches started by the London Missionary Society10. Literary Culture In the 1950s, three writers dominated the literature in NZ namely Sylvia Ashton-Warner , Ian Cross & Janet Frame. Owls Do Cry of Janet Frame where she vividly discussed a private vision of life, which was of more adventurous in nature. The book was of much with poetic work and had a penetrating analysis of normal values. Ian Cross’s wrote three books namely the God Boy , the After Anzac Day and the Backward Sex , and he was very popular in 1950s. In After Anzac Day , Cross depicted more vividly the contemporary adult life in NZ. In God Boy, he narrated how a boy was having a don’t care mentality even about God. Some apprehension was raised about the Cross’s staying in power in his book ,The Backward Sex. Sylvia Ashton-Warner was another writer who was famous in 1950s. In her book Spinster , she vividly explained the communications and relationships between male and female. Ruth France’s novel, The Race, was also famous in 1950s, which detailed a yatch disaster in Cook Strait. Maori Girl written by Noel Hilliard dealt about the uranised Maori11. How Transnational Culture impact the New Zealand's cultural history Nowadays , the national frontiers are smudged by enveloping of transnational cultures , there is a concern how national identity will be preserved and NZ being a land of settlers , the question arises whether the NZ has inherited the Maori culture or a country of enterprising capitalists from Western nations. Due to multiculturalism in NZ , the nation is no longer being considered as an acknowledgable collective entity. Early migration into NZ from Pacific resulted in the growth of transnational communities adopting the transnational culture into the NZs culture. Pacific settlers in NZ have brought with them the huge amount of capital and human resources , fashion and food , media , religious beliefs which have brought an astounding impact in NZs culture. At the same juncture, the suburbanization of employment and deindustralization , the disinvestment in health and welfare and opposition of host institutions in NZ has buttressed the marginalization of pacific immigrants and their descendants. The exponential growth of Pacific populations in NZ in the coming years connotes that the politics of identity and place will become more emphatic and will add fuel to the complication of cultural assorted societies in a transnational scenario . As per Macpherson (1998) , the NZs settlers’ culture has been impacted due to intermarriage , socialization , cultural traditions , fluency in language and due to this , there is the emergence of new cultural identities which mirror varied influences and which head off from in poignant means from their colonial , migrant and island origins and customary cultures and traditions. The impact of transnational culture can be identified from the fact that Pacific immigrants were associated in famous music of a customary form (Bill Sevesi) to present contemporary and international forms (Yandalls). Likewise , there is a sea change in the traditional culture of Kiwi’s due to invasion of Pacific settlers in photography, art ,literature , theatre , media and fashion. Plays like Fresh Off the Boat by Oscar Keightly addressed in a satirical way to the pacific audience but also addressed to other communities, particularly Palagi. As per MacPherson (1998:19), Samoans are now blending their traditional culture in a distinctive and novel way thereby blending it with the transnational culture. Conclusion The transnational culture that is being adopted in NZ now is a strong evidence of participation and visibility of Pacific peoples in New Zealand. Now , NZ’s national identity has not ony included a Maori existence but also a Pacific one. As per Pearson (1999:361) , Pacific shared identities and discourse are being now transformed and renegotiated to make the place for Pacific migrants , despite the fact that there being restricted oppurtunities to contradict some historical recurrences12. List of References Daly M & Dehne, A. (2010). Rough Guide to Australia. Sydney: Rough Guides Fox A, Grant BK & Radner H. (2011). New Zealand Cinema: Interpreting the Past. Bristol: Intellect Ltd Historic.org.nz. (2012). Ellesmere, [online] available from http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.aspx?RID=7731 Liu J H-F. (2005). New Zealand Identities: Departures and Destinations. Sydney: Victoria University Press Luxuryvacationsnz.com. History in New Zealand. [online] available from < http://www.luxuryvacationsnz.com/About_NZ/History.html > Rawlings-Way & Atkinson, B. (2010). New Zealand .Sydney: Lonely Planet Spoonley, P. (2011). Reinventing Polynesia. [online] available from < http://www.transcomm.ox.ac.uk/working%20papers/Spoonleywp.PDF> Statistics, New Zealand. (2011). A Trip to the Flicks. [online] available from >http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/prices_indexes/watching-cinema-admission-prices-in-the-cpi.aspx> Teara.govt.nz (2012) Maoris’ traditional culture [online] available from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/2 Teara.govt.nz. (2012) Literature –Fiction [online] available from < http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/literature-fiction/7 Teara.govt.nz. (2012).Settlement. [online] available from < http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/cook-islanders/2> Teara.govt.nz. (2012). Class. [online] available from< http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/class/3> Read More