‘Once were warriors’ is a well known New Zealand film, based on the story of an urban Maori family and their problems with poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence. While people all over the world watch this film, it portrays Maori families in this particular way, as if it is how all Maori families act and live in New Zealand. In result of this, the film has created it’s own stereotype, where excessive drinking, savage violence and being on the employment benefit is a normal thing.
The film poster itself depicts a warrior – dating back to the point in time where Maori where thought to be “The primitive savage and Maori as the social deviant” (Wall 43).
An artistic representation of Maori, by artist Owen Dippie and artist/activist Tame Iti. When thinking about Wall’s listed stereotypes and their characteristics, this artwork falls beneath both “Maori as radical political activist and the quintessential Maori”. Tame Iti is known for his political activism and Tuhoe protests, however this piece conveys the idea of unity and people coming together. relating to the quintessential Maori and the idea of identity, “Actively generated by maori themselves, to reclaim their right to self definition” (Wall 45). It represents Maori being their own people and breaking out of these constructed stereotypes that have been used throughout history.
WORKS CITED:
- Kaire-Melbourne, Kimiora. ‘Artists Ownen Dippie and Tame Iti complete Taneatua mural’. Maori Television, Wednesday 4 November http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/galleries/artists-owen-dippie-and-tame-iti-complete-taneatua-mural-0
- Wall, Melanie. Stereotypical Constructions of the Māori Race in the Media. New Zealand Geographer, 1997.
READINGS THAT WILL BE USED FOR ESSAY:
- Wall, Melanie. Stereotypical Constructions of the Māori Race in the Media. New Zealand Geographer, 1997.
This will help me when discussing the different stereotypes of Maori and how the actual stereotypes came to be.
- Tang, Leon. “Intellectual property law globalization of indigenous cultural expressions: Maori tattoo and the Whitmill VS Warner Bros. case” 2013, pp 62
Examples of how Maori motifs have been used and abused. Appropriation of Maori culture.
DC Design 
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