ERIC Number: EJ1314880
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2382-0373
EISSN: N/A
The Hanuju of "Writing Each Other" in Aotearoa during COVID-19 and the Coexisting Event(s) of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) Movement
Taito, Mere
Waikato Journal of Education, v26 spec iss p103-114 2021
Every poem has a creation talanoa: a story of how it was written. In a Rotuman context, 'talanoa' or story, can either be a 'rogrog/o' or 'hanuju'. From conception to final drafting, the creation hanuju can reveal the often-volatile relationship between a poet's internal self-talk and external historical and contemporary experiences. Memories (shaped by external experiences) will feed mulling, reliving, and reimagination (internal self-talk) and can consequently and impulsively set off the content, tone, form, and literary techniques of a poem into unanticipated directions. It is not uncommon for a poet to step away from a stanza and reflexively ask, 'How did I get here?!' Other external factors of poetic crafting are the social and political climate of the time of writing, the purpose and specifications of a commissioned task, and research. Research is necessary if a poem insists on wandering into ragged and unfamiliar territory. Of all these factors, current socio-political climate is perhaps the most influential in mobilising communities and individuals to engage in creative thinking and writing. This article is a one-way (because as a reader, you are not in the position to interrupt me) hanuju of my creative process of writing the poem "Writing each other" during COVID-19 and the concurrent event(s) of the BLM movement. This hanuju critically discusses the themes of remembering obedience, moving over in honour of disobedience, and conceding power that emerged as a vison for unity and kotahitanga. In essence, this hanuju is largely a story of disobedience: a celebration of my mapiga (grandmother) Lilly's gift of Rotuman language storytelling and the centring of the Rotuman language in a poem written for a predominantly mixed audience in the Waikato region of Aotearoa.
Descriptors: Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Influences, Foreign Countries, Poetry, Story Telling, Racial Bias, Social Justice, Writing (Composition), Pacific Islanders
Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research. Division of Education, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand. Tel: +64-7-858-5171; Fax: +64-7-838-4712; e-mail: wmier@waikato.ac.nz; Web site: https://wje.org.nz/index.php/WJE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A