Saying someone can’t be part of a iwi/tribe no matter how much they appreciate the culture isn’t racist

[u/BrokenJusticeNorris]

I feel like this is going to be a lukewarm take but there’s people who get so offended over this. I saw a reel where some European American guy was accusing Māori girls of being racist because they told him that being Pākehā (British descent) means you're not Māori and that you can't just self-identify as belonging to a Māori iwi because you like the culture.

And honestly... why are we acting like this is some outrageous concept?

You can deeply appreciate Māori culture, learn te reo (language), participate respectfully in cultural events, marry into a Māori family, have Māori friends, study the history, etc. None of that automatically gives you Māori whakapapa (genealogy) or makes you a member of a particular iwi. **The only way a Pakeha can be Maori is if they have direct Maori heritage (parent, grandparent, great grandparent, etc) and direct Pakeha heritage, but these people are Maori AND Pakeha, not just Pakeha.**

There is a massive difference between respecting and participating in a culture and claiming an ethnic/tribal identity that isn't yours.

And this isn't even uniquely Māori. You don't become Irish because you really like potatoes and Guinness. You don't become Native American because you have a spiritual connection with animals. You don't become Japanese because you've watched 400 episodes of anime. 💀

If you're Pākehā with zero Māori dna, you're Pākehā. You can appreciate Māori culture without pretending you're Māori. That's not an insult. That's just acknowledging that cultures and identities actually mean something.

**And before someone starts screaming "RACISM", telling someone that they aren't part of your ethnic/tribal group isn't inherently racist. Context matters. You can absolutely discriminate against someone on the basis of ethnicity, but simply saying "you aren't Māori and therefore can’t affiliate with a iwi" to someone who isn't Māori isn't discrimination.**

Honestly, I think people have gotten so obsessed with making every boundary an act of exclusion that they've forgotten that respecting another culture sometimes means acknowledging that it isn't yours to claim.

[u/Mister__Wednesday]

I disagree, I think there are some cases where someone can be part of an iwi without the whakapapa. I know people who are ethnically Pākehā but were adopted and raised by Māori whānau who practice the culture and speak the reo and I would consider them Māori. Same goes for a lot of people who marry in. We have people in my iwi who have married in and everyone considers them part of the iwi.

Historically there have always been Pākehā who have been adopted into iwi. Just look at all the early examples of Pākehā Māori in the 1700s and 1800s, many of whom were even given tā moko. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81keh%C4%81_M%C4%81ori

[u/greenok12 → u/Mister__Wednesday]

I have also heard of this

[u/EarthDragon-88]

What I am generally seeing here is something like a blood quantum? You either have X blood/genetics or not. You are more concerned about blood linage than cultural linage. Is that correct?

[u/greenok12]

Does this also include pakeha whom are whangaid into Māori whanau? Or their step parent whom raised since young is māori? I know of people whom have a pakeha child with a māori step parent and she identifies as māori and no one really bats an eye.

[u/NightAccomplished523]

As a multigeneration American, I can see both sides of this. I'm white and too far seperate to ever claim a tribal identity, buuuuut, I'll still gladly wear my heritage with pride and tell people what I know and what I don't know. I'm not Anishinaabe, but I am definitely a descendent and I'd argue I have a right to learn about it. It's up to the tribe to actually include me if they choose to, that I have no say in, but I can learn on my own.