Waka Kuaka https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS <p>Since 1892 the Polynesian Society has provided a major forum for discussion of a wide range of social, cultural, indigenous and historical topics related to the past and present lives and cultures of peoples of Pacific/Oceanic heritage, including those of the traditional cultural areas of Polynesia (including New Zealand Māori), Melanesia and Micronesia. The Society has a long-standing memoir series which is published intermittently.</p> <p>The Society's main publication,<em> Waka Kuaka:</em> The <em>Journal of the Polynesian Society </em>(formerly <em>Journal of the Polynesian Society</em>), is published quarterly (ISSN: 0032-4000, E-ISSN: 2230-5955) and globally ranks in the top 90 Anthropology journals (Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2020). <em>JPS</em> is indexed in SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, INFORMIT NEW ZEALAND COLLECTION, INDEX NEW ZEALAND, ANTHROPOLOGY PLUS, ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER, HISTORICAL ABSTRACTS, EBSCOhost, MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY,<br />JSTOR, CURRENT CONTENTS (Social &amp; Behavioural Sciences).</p> <p>Recent back issues (from 2012) can be accessed by clicking on the ARCHIVES link above, selecting the volume and issue of interest, and then opening the Table of Contents to select the article (in PDF format) that you wish to see. </p> The Polynesian Society en-US Waka Kuaka 0032-4000 <p>Copyright © 2024 by the Polynesian Society (Inc.)<br /><br />Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without written permission.<br /><br />Inquiries should be made to:<br /><br />Dr Marcia Leenen-Young, Editor<br />The Polynesian Society<br />c/o School of Māori and Pacific Studies<br />The University of Auckland<br />Private Bag 92019, Auckland<br />New Zealand</p> <p>email: m.leenen@auckland.ac.nz</p> Imprint & Guidelines for Authors https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/738 Hamish Macdonald Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 Waka Kuaka | The Journal of the Polynesian Society, December 2024, Vol. 133, Issue no.4 https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/737 Hamish Macdonald Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 361 492 Publications received: September to December 2024 https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/736 Hamish Macdonald Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 491 492 sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023 https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/735 Ann Tozer Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 487 489 The Convert https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/734 David Lipset Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 484 486 Katūīvei: Contemporary Pasifika Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand. https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/733 Irene Karongo Hundleby Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2024-12-30 2024-12-30 133 4 481 484 Islands and Cultures: How Pacific Islands Provide Paths toward Sustainability https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/732 Kawena Elkington Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 479 481 Scientific aspects of Hāpaiali‘i heiau https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/731 <p>A heiau is a Hawaiian pre-Christian place of worship composed of rocks and holding historical and cultural significance, with a variety of uses ranging from worship to rituals. The scientific origins of Hawaiian heiau have yet to be fully inspected in the literature. This paper covers Hāpaialiʻi heiau on the island of Hawai‘i and its main function as a seasonal calendar through continuous observation of the sunrise and sunset locations over the sea horizon. Understanding the calendar functionality of the heiau contributes an essential step towards understanding Hawaiians’ use of indigenous science. This study mathematically investigates the sacred structure’s functionality with numerical accuracy and scientific rigour. A brief overview of the history of the Kahaluʻu area and the surrounding heiau provides important context for the heiau’s significance. This study reports and analyses the heiau’s relevant history, cultural significance and reconstruction by Kamehameha Schools. The importance of the calendar lies in the determination of the responsibilities for the current season, indicating which crops are to be harvested and which fish are in the mating season. In the mathematical analysis, the coordinates of the stones within the heiau are independently measured using Google Earth and Google Maps. The relative distances and angles between the internal stones are calculated using Google Sheets and Matlab to discover the underlying sciences possibly used by ancient native Hawaiians.</p> Albert S. Kim Brenton Sasaoka Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 465 478 A rediscovered taurapa from Thomas Kendall’s 1823 Marianna consignment of whakairo rākau (Māori wood carvings). https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/730 <p>The last unaccounted-for whakairo rākau (Māori wood carving) from an 1823 consignment of eight sent to London from the Bay of Islands by the missionary Thomas Kendall has now been located in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The rediscovery of this taurapa (sternpost) from a waka taua (war canoe) completes research undertaken to establish the whereabouts of the consignment. The taurapa’s identification also sheds new light on the role of Tungaroa, a high-born woman from Rangihoua, as the probable interpreter of the whakairo rākau for Kendall.</p> Deidre Brown Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 455–464 455–464 The evolution of kaitiakitanga in the 1980s: From the Manukau Harbour claim to the Resource Management Act 1991 https://thepolynesiansociety.org/jps/index.php/JPS/article/view/729 <p>The term kaitiakitanga, describing Māori customs of care for the natural world and other taonga (treasured entities), has become a cornerstone of environmental discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its prominence in public policy can be traced to the 1980s, particularly through the leadership of Nganeko Minhinnick and Te Puuaha ki Manuka, a collective of Tainui hapū (kinship communities) connected to the Waikato River and Manukau Harbour. During this period, Nganeko Minhinnick advanced the Manukau Harbour claim before the Waitangi Tribunal, invoking kaitiakitanga as a central principle. At its core, the claim sought the restoration of Māori authority to exercise their traditional rights and responsibilities over the harbour. Claimants drew strategic parallels between kaitiakitanga and the existing institution of Lake Guardians, environmental advisory bodies tasked with protecting several of Aotearoa’s lakes. The Waitangi Tribunal subsequently recommended the establishment of a similar institution, the Kaitiaki o Manuka, to serve as Māori Guardians. While bureaucrats immediately embraced the idea, archival evidence shows that claimants quickly distanced themselves from it. They recognised that the transplantation of a Western advisory model into a Māori context undermined their broader aspirations for the substantive return of authority. This article examines the evolution of kaitiakitanga, from its emergence in the tireless leadership and work of Nganeko Minhinnick to its entry into resource management legislation in the 1980s, highlighting the challenges Māori have faced—and continue to face—in ensuring their concepts of environmental use and care are returned to prominence in Aotearoa.</p> Keri Mills Marama Muru-Lanning Gerald Lanning Copyright (c) 2024 The Polynesian Society 2025-01-03 2025-01-03 133 4 389 414