The author/developer lives in New Zealand. I don't see how it's 'cultural appropriation', to any extent that naming a programming project after a bird can even be cultural appropriation.
Conversations about NZ cultural specifics always turn to bull paki on HN. There is not enough people who understand the philosophical and historical underpinnings
of why NZ should be a partnership and why Māori worldview should be respected. And there are just too many unreflective people who see white culture as the default.
That's really odd framing to me -- you seemingly think that I have to justify what I think or say through the Māori lens or worldview, as if it were some kind of default. I don't. You could say that a country is a partnership between the people who live in it, New Zealand is a democracy after all. But I, the person writing this comment, is not an entity in partnership with the Māori people or worldview. I don't follow their traditions or customs, but you're free to.
As a Kiwi I remember all sorts of shenanigans like the crater of Mt. Eden being considered Tapu and not to be tread upon but that didn't seem to stop all the cuzzies from going down there and drinking boxes of Cody's and leaving the cans everywhere.
Or not seeing many Maori in language classes cause they weren't interested but I was required to attend (opt out, but I wanted to learn a bit of Maori).
Respect is earned and I think active and friendly participation in their own culture would help foster the partnership you talk about. But growing up most of what I saw was selective participation.
| If using a Māori cultural element, it is essential that you create a cultural narrative around your brand or product including the usage, your thinking and where you gained inspiration from. In Māori culture this is called ‘whakapapa’. Everything in the Māori world has whakapapa. It is also your first line of defense if someone accuses you of cultural appropriation.
That article confirms there is no crime being committed by using the name without consent (as no consent is legally needed under current NZ law).
They blame an outdated copyright system.
Given how long treat claims have been going on for, I’ve little sympathy for such perspectives. Get it in law, or leave it be. Don’t try guilt trip others over concepts that don’t exist outside Maoridom - like mana.
Seriously its threads like this that do nothing but reinforce negative connotations of Maori. It would have been better to race relations to not mention it.
The first line of defense if somebody accuses the author of cultural appropriation is to simply reply that it is his own culture. It's odd to presume that he has any special requirement to justify his use of a word that he, as a New Zealander, has as much right to as anybody else.
Te Reo is often considered a taonga due to its value in the heritage and identity of the Māori people of New Zealand.
Te Reo names are often gifted by Iwis or individuals with sufficient Mana. As a Tangata Whenua Inia, I was strongly recommended to avoid using Te Reo names in business due to cultural reasons.
I'm from New Zealand myself, I understand the cultural context here. I grew up using the word Kākāpō as the common word for referring to the actual bird. If I was the author, and somebody takes offense from my usage of the word Kākāpō (the word used in English as well as Māori), I would politely ignore their concern. Mana, just as in World of Warcraft as in real life, is of little concern to me.
And getting precious over a word is ridiculous, it seemed to be a common theme growing up in NZ, there's a general apathy until there's some perceived benefit and then suddenly it's about race and culture.
