Illustrating strong interest in topics related to Indigenous Peoples and communities from the Asia-Pacific region, the “Roots and Bridges: APRU Indigenous Connections Seminar Series” recorded over 100 participants from across the Pacific Rim in its first two events. Held in May, the seminars featured network researchers from a broad range of academic fields who presented their fieldwork, insights, and findings. The initiative aims to share knowledge among APRU member universities, staff and students while encouraging collaboration and amplifying Indigenous voices and visions.
“We set out to learn about what Maori people valued about Kapa Haka [Maori Performing Arts], and we ended up learning about the value of all things Maori,” said The University of Auckland’s Prof. Linda Waimarie Nikora, who, in the seminar shared how she and her colleagues explored the value and wellness contributions made by Kapa Haka to performers, audiences, and communities.
Prof. Eldon Yellowhorn of Simon Fraser University shared that when he started his academic career in the 1990s, only about a dozen Indigenous people across Canada held a faculty position and that he was the first Indigenous person in Canada to complete a Ph.D. in archaeology.
“Since then, we have researched various milestones in bringing an Indigenous route to the university; we now have 13 Indigenous faculty who teach courses with strong focusses on environmental knowledge, arts and literature, public policy and governments, and language preservation,” Prof. Yellowhorn said.
For her part, Prof. Te Kawehau Hoskins of The University of Auckland explained that rather than wanting to be just another pressure group making rights claims, the Maori seek to dig into the idea of indigeneity to identify suitable ideas, logic, and practices for making changes.
“There is a lot of productive potential in the way that we Maori approach political problems, questions and relationships…we are very good at breaching polarising positions, we are good at diplomacy, and we have got a lot of things that our nation and the world needs.” Prof. Hoskins said.
The remaining six seminars will run until November, with the next one scheduled for June 28, 2024, 9:00 am – 10:00 am (Hong Kong/Philippines Time: UTC/GMT +8 hours). Prof. Raymundo Rovillos, University of the Philippines, will narrate, as well as reflect, on his experience as one of the leaders of the institutionalization of the Indigenous Studies Program (ISP) of the University of the Philippines Baguio.
The seminars are led and moderated by Emeritus Prof. David Romo, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Prof. Romo directed the Program of Ethnic Diversity and was responsible for including over 700 indigenous and Afroecuadorian students to USFQ.
Learn more about the ‘Roots and Bridges: APRU Indigenous Connections Seminar Series’ and the upcoming talks here.