Dr. Tanya Allport, along with Whakauae’s PhD students Cinnamon Lindsay-Latimer and Tom Johnson, recently represented Aotearoa at the 2024 Folk, Knowledge, Place (FKP) Conference held in Singapore from 9–12 December. Hosted by the College of Integrative Studies (CIS) at Singapore Management University, this knowledge sharing event brought together researchers from diverse disciplines, including culture, anthropology, history, literature, and art, to explore the profound ways we relate to and conceptualise place.
The conference delved into the intricate relationships between people and their environments, examining how places influence knowledge systems, worldviews, and emotional attachments. Presentations reflected on the political dimensions of place, highlighting how communities worldwide speak, write, and produce narratives about landscapes, seascapes, and their relationships with these spaces.
Our Whakauae team made significant contributions to this conversation through two insightful presentations. Dr. Tanya Allport and Cinnamon Lindsay-Latimer co-presented "Belonging to the Land: A Counter Narrative of Home and Place," offering insights into kāinga and exploring how Māori connections to place provide counter-narratives to colonial understandings of land and belonging.
Tom Johnson shared conceptual findings from his PhD research in his presentation, "Conversations with the River: Reconnecting Indigenous Communities to Ancestral Landscapes." His work highlighted how engaging in dialogue with rivers, regarded as living ancestors, can inspire Indigenous communities to reimagine their connections to ancestral environmental landscapes.
Adding to the Aotearoa contingent, Tom’s supervisor, Dr. Isaac Warbrick, presented "Ancient Tools, Modern Stories: Connecting to Place by Rejuvenating Indigenous Oral Traditions." Dr. Warbrick emphasised the role of revitalising Indigenous storytelling practices as a means to sustain and deepen our relationships with place.
The Whakauae delegation exemplified the richness of iwi diversity and the many ways Māori apply their unique worldviews to narrate and connect with place. Their contributions resonated strongly with the conference themes, offering Māori perspectives on the politics of land use, the spiritual and emotional connections to the environment, and the potential for Indigenous practices to influence global understandings of place.
Tanya, Cinnamon, Tom, and Isaac returned to Aotearoa after showcasing the depth of Māori knowledge systems on an international stage with connections made with the hope of furthering the global conversation on the power of place and its connection to identity and community for the wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
The conference offered a wealth of insights into place, space, belonging, and home, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of perspectives from around the world. We were especially impressed by the FKP attendees, whose thoughtful and probing questions during the Q&A sessions sparked some of the most engaging and rewarding discussions we’ve ever encountered at an academic gathering. Of course, no trip is complete without an unforgettable moment, and ours came when Tanya heroically rescued a giant monitor lizard from a bin at the Ten Courts of Hell (that’s not a sentence I thought I would ever write). For those curious about the details, we encourage you to reach out to our conference attendees!
Dr. Tanya Allport, along with Whakauae’s PhD students Cinnamon Lindsay-Latimer and Tom Johnson, recently represented Aotearoa at the 2024 Folk, Knowledge, Place (FKP) Conference held in Singapore from 9–12 December. Hosted by the College of Integrative Studies (CIS) at Singapore Management University, this knowledge sharing event brought together researchers from diverse disciplines, including culture, anthropology, history, literature, and art, to explore the profound ways we relate to and conceptualise place.
The conference delved into the intricate relationships between people and their environments, examining how places influence knowledge systems, worldviews, and emotional attachments. Presentations reflected on the political dimensions of place, highlighting how communities worldwide speak, write, and produce narratives about landscapes, seascapes, and their relationships with these spaces.
Our Whakauae team made significant contributions to this conversation through two insightful presentations. Dr. Tanya Allport and Cinnamon Lindsay-Latimer co-presented "Belonging to the Land: A Counter Narrative of Home and Place," offering insights into kāinga and exploring how Māori connections to place provide counter-narratives to colonial understandings of land and belonging.
Tom Johnson shared conceptual findings from his PhD research in his presentation, "Conversations with the River: Reconnecting Indigenous Communities to Ancestral Landscapes." His work highlighted how engaging in dialogue with rivers, regarded as living ancestors, can inspire Indigenous communities to reimagine their connections to ancestral environmental landscapes.
Adding to the Aotearoa contingent, Tom’s supervisor, Dr. Isaac Warbrick, presented "Ancient Tools, Modern Stories: Connecting to Place by Rejuvenating Indigenous Oral Traditions." Dr. Warbrick emphasised the role of revitalising Indigenous storytelling practices as a means to sustain and deepen our relationships with place.
The Whakauae delegation exemplified the richness of iwi diversity and the many ways Māori apply their unique worldviews to narrate and connect with place. Their contributions resonated strongly with the conference themes, offering Māori perspectives on the politics of land use, the spiritual and emotional connections to the environment, and the potential for Indigenous practices to influence global understandings of place.
Tanya, Cinnamon, Tom, and Isaac returned to Aotearoa after showcasing the depth of Māori knowledge systems on an international stage with connections made with the hope of furthering the global conversation on the power of place and its connection to identity and community for the wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
The conference offered a wealth of insights into place, space, belonging, and home, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of perspectives from around the world. We were especially impressed by the FKP attendees, whose thoughtful and probing questions during the Q&A sessions sparked some of the most engaging and rewarding discussions we’ve ever encountered at an academic gathering. Of course, no trip is complete without an unforgettable moment, and ours came when Tanya heroically rescued a giant monitor lizard from a bin at the Ten Courts of Hell (that’s not a sentence I thought I would ever write). For those curious about the details, we encourage you to reach out to our conference attendees!
