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Had a bit of a moment today.
Took our Y13 history class to He Tohu @NLNZ and saw the look on a student& #39;s face when she found the name of her tipuna (ancestor) on Te Tiriti. We talked afterwards and it was clear it resonated deeply. 1/
Took our Y13 history class to He Tohu @NLNZ and saw the look on a student& #39;s face when she found the name of her tipuna (ancestor) on Te Tiriti. We talked afterwards and it was clear it resonated deeply. 1/
Students, Pākehā, Māori, Samoan, Nigerian all crowding round He Whakaputanga (our declaration of indigenous independence) and Te Tiriti talking in increasing volume about what they see and notice. 2/
Hushed reverence punctuated by the clamour of new discovery. The frustrations and questions from one student unable to find her whanaunga on the Treaty. The way she reacted with a steely focus when I asked her if she wanted to come back to pursue her family history. 3/
Their reactions as they watched the map table animations showing the whenua being gobbled up by colonisation, and the settlement deal total vs the nation& #39;s GDP. 4/
The young wahine leaning in close to examine the Women& #39;s Suffrage Petition. The laughter mixed with shame when we learned that only 30 men signed the petition of over 30,000 signatures. 5/
The wonderful kaiako who led us on our learning journey, one Tangata Whenua, one from Germany, both bringing their love and passion to the job of educating tomorrow& #39;s leaders. 6/
The beautiful, warm, living space built to house the taonga. Like a wooden nest, made from interconnected but independent panels, like the iwi and hapu who signed Te Tiriti. A patchwork of beauty and love. 7/
Anyone who knows me knows I have a weird mysticism at my core. A sense of connectedness that transcends the everyday. Today I felt that intensely. We are all connected. The hurt of one is the shame of another, the forgiveness of one is the redemption of another. 8/
We walked away energised, thankful and, I think, purposeful. He Tohu asks us a number of questions, but for me the most important is "what are you going to do about it?" 9/
I wonder what my students felt afterwards, what impact it had on those young hearts and minds. I will find out tomorrow. 10/
So thank you again to the marvelous team at He Tohu / @NLNZ. I think you might just have made our year.
