Loriene Roy

For two years, from 1997-1999, members of Te Ropu Whakahau ("they, who encourage and incite"), the Maori Library and Information Workers' Association, were engaged in intensive planning for the first International Indigenous Librarians' Forum. Maori representatives met with representatives of the American Indian Library Association (AILA) twice, in 1997 and 1998, at AILA business meetings held in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) annual conferences. These meetings lead to an agreement to support the first international collaboration between information professionals of indigenous heritage. The resulting event was held in Auckland, New Zealand/Aotearoa, 1-4 November 1999, to, in part, commemorate the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, 1995-2005. The Forum vision, "affirming the knowledge and values of indigenous peoples in the age of information" (Toi te kupu, toi te mana, toi te whenua), was reflected in the program and formed the basis of the facilitated discussion among the nearly 120 delegates. Conveners defined indigenous peoples as "those who have become minority peoples in their places of cultural origin." [1] Among the delegates were approximately 105 Maori representatives, nine members of AILA, and ten international delegates from such locations as Australia, Canada, and Sweden. This paper will describe the Forum and its content, present its outcomes, and describe how local and national efforts in New Zealand are models for how to advance library services to indigenous populations.

Korero Nehe: Background to the Forum

The Forum was held at the Waipapa Marae, a tribal meeting place on the campus of the University of Auckland associated with the University's Maori Studies facilities. Such a location was selected in order to provide indigenous librarians with an environment in which they could not only express their opinions but also express their cultural selves. The Waipapa Marae, was an especially relevant venue as its meeting house, Tane-nui-a-rangi, was named after the Maori ancestor who is credited with conveying knowledge to humankind. In the evening prior to the Forum's opening, international guests attended an orientation session on protocol/etiquette, customs and traditions related to residing and working on the marae. On the first morning of the Forum, delegates participated in a powhiri (official welcome) onto the marae, which included a karanga (welcome call), whaikorero (introductory speeches), and hongi, or pressing one's nose against another's, a traditional Maori greeting. Indigenous librarians from North America contributed blessings, song, and a smudging with burning sage, a traditional American Indian means of purification. The two main structures on the marae complex were the whare tupuna, or ancestral sleeping house where many delegates stayed, and the whare kai, or dining room were food was prepared and eaten and where delegates engaged in deliberation and celebration. In preparation for discussions, delegates received a copy of Issues and Initiatives in Indigenous Librarianship: Some International Perspectives , a compilation of six essays on the status of indigenous librarianship in New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, Sapmi (traditional Sami land in Scandinavia), and the continental United States. [2] Robert Sullivan, Maori poet and library worker, gathered and edited the Forum proceedings which were published in 2001 with support from the National Library of New Zealand. [3]

The gathering (hui) included formal presentations, large and small group discussions, ceremony, site visits to area libraries and cultural centers, as well as social and cultural expressions. Also prominent in the presence of the presentations and discussion was a Mauristone, an oval stone carved with Koru or symbols of the power of learning.

Day one of the forum focused on background issues and provided a foundation for sharing an understanding of the indigenous ways of knowing. The two speakers were Aroha Mead, Manager of the Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Issues Unit of New Zealand's Ministry of Maori Development and her sister, Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith, who heads the International Research Institute for Maori and Indigenous Education based at the University of Auckland. Following an evening reception for international visitors at the Old Government House, the Forum discussion began in earnest, and past the midnight hour, with guests in the whare tupuna sharing their stories and visions of their desired outcomes for the Forum. Delegates residing on the marae were awakened each morning by the sound of the conch shell, considered by the Maori to be the voice of the ancestors.

The agenda of the second day of the Forum, November 2, covered indigenous history and library issues outside of New Zealand; morning sessions were held in the whare wananga, Maori cultural room, in the newly renovated Auckland Public Library. Brenda Hausia and Kath Schilling, both from Canberra, provided a history of the aboriginal experience in Australia. Joan Howland, Roger F. Noreen Professor of Law and Director of Information and Technology, University of Minnesota Law School, spoke on sovereignty among American Indian peoples. After small group discussion, the gathering reassembled on the marae for afternoon sessions. Dr. Lotsee Patterson, Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma, gave an overview of the history and development of tribal library services. Naomi Caldwell, Instructor, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, University of Rhode Island, contributed her perspectives on how tribal leaders gather information. Two librarians from the community library associated with the Northwest Indian College on the Lummi Reservation in Washington State, Nancy Carroll and Jody Davis, spoke on the role of tribal colleges in documenting and preserving Native culture. Elizabeth Wacondo highlighted her achievements in directing the Laguna (New Mexico) Community Library. Two Canadian librarians, Wendy Sinclair and Joan Anderson, described services at the Albert Library (Regina, Saskatchewan). Lisa Mitten, Social Sciences Bibliographer at the University of Pittsburgh, completed the day of international indigenous librarian activities by providing an evening demonstration of Native American web sites.

The third day, Wednesday 3 November, featured three morning sessions on the development of educational resources. Dr. Graham Hingangaroa Smith, ProVice Chancellor at the University of Auckland, spoke of cultural issues impacting education. Dr. Loriene Roy, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, The University of Texas at Austin, described progress toward the development of a virtual museum of the American Indian, a collaborative project including the National Museum of the American Indian, grant support from the Department of Education, management by the Pueblo of Laguna Department of Education, and Potawatomi and Santa Clara Pueblo children and educators. Makalapua Ka'awa, Hawaiian Language Instructor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, focused on language immersion programs in Hawaii. An afternoon field trip to the Arataki Visitors' Center, a forty-five minute drive from the Auckland campus, included presentations on Maori music and weaving, within an environment that demonstrated the Maori relationship with the natural environment. The evening program, provided by Huia Kopua and Lawrence Wharerau, covered Maori visual resources in the New Zealand Film Archive where they serve as a Maori Programmes Manager and Researcher, respectively.

The agenda on the last full day of the Forum, Thursday 4 November, included two formal presentations and opportunity for delegates to meet in small groups. Vicki-Anne Heikell spoke on her work as Preservation Officer at New Zealand's National Preservation Office. Professor Ngapare Hopa, Chair and Head of the University of Auckland's Department of Maori Studies spoke, in Maori and English, of intellectual property rights issues. Small group sessions focused on arriving at a discussion of five key action areas: (1) how might the group maintain contact; (2) how might indigenous librarians work together to develop and/or support statements on intellectual and cultural property rights; (3) what vision statement might express these joint efforts; (4) how might indigenous librarians receive support from relevant organizations, tribes, and nations; and (5) what does it mean to be indigenous and how might this be expressed within one's career in library and information science. Thursday evening's banquet included a graduation ceremony for recent Maori library graduates of certificate and degreed programs. The Forum banquet followed and included music and dance entertainment by a Maori girls performance group from a local high school. Chris Szekely, Forum Coordinator, was roasted through speeches and a visual life history presentation. After dinner entertainment included a live jazz band and karaoke.

Friday morning, November 5, brought a summary and poroporoaki (farewells) as delegates departed for their homelands or prepared for the following week's New Zealand national library conference. Forum organizers included Hinerangi Himiona, Bernard Makoare, Hinureina Mangan, Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, Chris Szekely and Jock Walker. Sponsors included the National Library of New Zealand, University of Auckland (Library and Maori Studies Department), Library & Information Association of New Zealand (LIANZA), Auckland City Community Planning Department, Te Puni Kokiri Ministry of Maori Development, and four public library systems: Auckland City Libraries, Manukau Libraries, North Shore City Libraries, and Waitakere Libraries & Information Services. The Forum was a self-affirming experience that called for Native librarians to be central to the process of recovering and claiming indigenous cultural heritage.

Nga Hua: Forum Outcomes

Outcome 1: To Continue Contact

Delegates unanimously approved a decision to maintain continuing contact between indigenous librarians. While representatives of Te Ropu Whakahau hosted the Forum and the American Indian Library Association and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library and Information Resource Network (ATSILIRN) assisted in program planning, delegates opted to investigate communication avenues outside of their respective organizations. A technical support group of delegates from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States was formed to provide recommendations on the use of electronic means to support communication.

Another outcome of the delegates' desire to maintain connections and extend the vision of the first Forum was the planning of a second Forum. The Swedish Library Association has offered to provide financial support for the second Forum which will be hosted by the Swedish Section of the Sami Council. This second International Indigenous Librarians' Forum will be scheduled to preceed the Barents Libraries Conference, scheduled for 10-12 September 2001, in Jokkmokk, Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle. Since the 1970s, this conference has been held every other year in northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, or northwestern Russia. The four themes for the 2001 Barents Libraries Conference (formerly, The North Calotte Conference for Libraries) include: (1) cooperation among libraries, museums and archives; (2) indigenous libraries and library services; (3) access to traditional knowledge; and (4) provision of library services to people in rural areas. Delegates may also be able to travel to the Goteborg International Book Fair, scheduled for 13-16 September 2001 in southern Sweden. A second Forum would provide an opportunity for indigenous librarians to participate in an event in a location rich with expressions of indigenous culture and active in specialized library services to the world's first peoples.

Outcome 2: To Support Statements Respecting Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights

Members attending the Forum voted to support the text of the Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This document was prepared in 1993, the United Nations Year for the World's Indigenous Peoples, at the First International Conference on the Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Wakatane, New Zealand. Over 150 representatives attended the six-day gathering. The declaration reads:

"We ... Declare that all forms of discrimination and exploitation of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous knowledge and indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights must cease." [4]

In addition, the document lists a number of recommendations for indigenous peoples; governing bodies at the state, national, and international level; and specific recommendations for the United Nations.

Since indigenous peoples worldwide have been subjects of research yet often face numerous barriers in gaining access to the results of these studies, Forum delegates also discussed the roles that libraries can play in providing Native peoples with better access to library collections and in supporting Native language revitalization efforts.

Outcome 3: To Draft a Vision Statement Reflecting the Purpose and Future of the Forum

Delegates approved the following statement, reflecting a communal expression of the role of indigenous people in the information age.

"We, as unified indigenous peoples who work with libraries and information, will ensure the appropriate care, development and management of the indigenous knowledge of generations past, present, and future." [5]

Outcome 4: To Identity Relevant Target Groups and the Most Effective Means of Communicating with Them

Delegates identified five audiences with which to work on furthering indigenous librarianship. These groups are (1) local indigenous peoples and their governing bodies; (2) professional organizations within the field of library and information science, including those involved in indigenous librarianship as well as regional, national, and international organizations; (3) local, state, regional, and national libraries and information service centers; (4) government agencies; (5) and potential funding sources and other organizations involved in similar endeavors.

Outcome 5: To Explore Means to Define and Celebrate One's Indigenousness

Discussion related to arriving at answers to this objective involved following two strategies. One was to enumerate the personal experience of being an indigenous person. These experiences were expressed by listing terms used to define ethnicity (such as Native, Aboriginal, First Peoples), adjectives expressing the historical experiences of indigenous peoples (such as colonized and disenfranchised), and phrases that describe the unique characteristics of indigenous peoples (such as connectiveness with land, peoples, and future). The second facet of this discussion involved listing strategies indigenous librarians could express their culture within their profession. Such strategies included working to rewrite library policy to promote culturally centered library services and practices and working closely with community members, especially elders.

New Zealand/Aoteara: Modeling Support for Indigenous Library Services

Key partners involved in New Zealand in the development and provision of library services for Maori people include Te Ropu Whakahau, LIANZA, the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa), schools of library and information science, and local library systems.

Te Ropu Whakahau, founded in 1992 as a Special Interest Group in LIANZA, has provided dynamic and focused leadership and models for other indigenous librarians in other areas of the world for becomming involved in library development at local, national, and international levels. In 1995, Te Ropu became a separate, independent organization. Te Ropu has published a number of exemplary publications, including a Maori language handbook for librarians (He Puna Taunaki, "a source of support") and a directory of Maori special collections in thirty-five New Zealand localities (Te Hikoi Marama, "the enlightened journey"). Te Ropu also receives funding through a service contract with LIANZA and membership dues. Their presence is seen through their published newsletter, Te Ropu Whakahau Panui, their web site, regional meetings, an annual separate conference, a translation service as well as programs at the annual LIANZA national conference.

LIANZA was founded in 1910 as the New Zealand Library Association and currently has over 1,600 members. In 1992, LIANZA identified biculturalism as one of the top issues impacting the library profession as it entered the 21 st century. As a result, the Association provided support for a research project, Te Ara Tika. The goals were, first, to document the status of bicultural services in a sample of seventy-three New Zealand public libraries and, second, to assess opinions of Maori clients towards library services. LIANZA has a Bicultural Special Interest Group and sets aside two seats on its Executive Council for Maori representatives.

Established by the 1965 National Library Act, The National Library of New Zealand also demonstrates its commitment to Maori involvement in the library and information science profession in unique ways. In 1987, the Maori language (Te Reo Maori) was recognized by an Act of Parliament as one of New Zealand's official languages. The National Library refers to its service regions by the names assigned by the Maori to their original lands. For example, the Wellington area is called the Te Whanganui-A-Tar, or Tara's Great Harbour, service area. National Library publications are also bilingual. The National Library has a Maori staffing unit, headed by a Maori senior manager who serves on the Library's Strategic Management Team and reports directly to the National Librarian. At least three of the districts have a Maori district liaison librarian or Takawaenga-a-Rohe, each of whom reports to a local Maori committee (Komiti Whahahaere) and to the Maori senior manager at the National Library. The National Library offers an annual "Scholarship to Maori" to provide financial assistance to Maori language speakers who wish to pursue employment in libraries. Among the "core values" of the New Zealand National Library is a commitment to observing the responsibilities of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi). The treaty, signed in 1840 between New Zealand and the Maori, established New Zealand as a country that would be governed through a partnership between the Pakeha (white) and Maori citizens. The National Library has a written goal that, by 2002, it will establish a strategy for partnering with the Maori. Three time-sensitive objectives were drafted to measure attainment of this goal. These are:

"1. To develop an inventory and critical analysis of Maori resources, services and capabilities within the National Library, by December 2000.

"2. To develop National Library protocols for consultation with Maori, by December 2001.

"3. To achieve a strategy for consultation with Maori, by December 2001.

"(a) Develop the National Library's partnership plan by June 2002.

"(b) Implement the strategy by December 2000." [6]

The National Library is assisted in these efforts by the Komiti Matua, a Maori advisory committee that includes representation from the Komiti Whahahaere. The National Library is also involved with developing and maintaining collections as well as developing products, such as the Maori subject headings thesaurus. The Library maintains and provides access to the largest collection of print Maori resources (the Alexander Turnbull Library Collections) and an active oral history project.

Te Ropu Whakahau and LIANZA are also committed to diversity through their support in recruiting and educating Maori information specialists. Te Ropu Whakahau members serve on the advisory board of Victoria University's Department of Library and Information Studies. In addition, Te Wananga o Raukawa, a tribal institute of learning, offers a diploma in Maori and Information Management. The Parliamentary Library in Wellington also provides the Whaia te iti Kahurangi Scholarship for a Maori student of $5,000, which requires that the recipient work first as a library assistant for a year on full salary, spend a second year as a full-time student at Victoria University's program and return to the Parliamentary Library as a librarian for the third year.

The Auckland City Libraries (ACL) typifies local support for Maori services. The library system was recently renamed, Auckland City Libraries-Tamaki Pataka Korero, in acknowledgment of the Treaty of Waitangi. In 1994, ACL conducted the first major survey of Maori library users and non-users in New Zealand. Five hundred Maori completed questionnaires, which were provided within library facilities or through telephone interviews with a sample of Maori voters. Major survey findings led to these recommendations:

1. ACL needed to work at informing Maori residents about available library resources.

2. Maori library patrons would like to see Maori staff in all library staffing areas.

3. Library facilities need to be more Maori-friendly in their physical appearance.

4. Library collections should provide a sufficient number of titles in the Maori language.

5. Maori would welcome and attend cultural activities held within the library.

6. Non-Maori (Pakeha) library staff need to be trained in greater cultural sensitivity. [7]

One result of the study was the formation of an ACL Maori Services Team. The Team structure incorporates a traditional Maori governance structure as members are designated tumuaki (team leader), kai arahi (Maori subject specialist), and kai tiaki-taonga (Maori reference and public services specialist). This step was also in agreement with ACL's values of: "(a) customer service, quality information and equity of access; (b) efficiency, flexibility, and innovation; (c) good humour, tolerance, and respect for individual differences; and (d) the Treaty of Waitangi," respect for the Treaty means that ACL pledged to "add a Maori voice to policy making and procedure setting." [8] A "Treaty at Work" continuing education and training program was developed for the library staff to assist them in better serving Maori patrons.

Support is also seen in the Central City Library's physical facilities. The second floor of the structure is the newly designated Heritage Floor. Included here is a separate Maori special collection, the Te Kohinga Matual Maori Collection, the Maori meeting room, and a Maori public services team. The Heritage Floor also includes a family history room, local history room, newspaper room, special collections reading room, and special collections exhibits room. Bilingual signage appears throughout the facility. Even the carpeting is culturally responsive: the pattern reproduces the navigational maps the Maori followed to travel to New Zealand eleven hundred years ago. Branch libraries in local library systems have Maori special collections. In addition to the Central City Library, the ACL system includes sixteen branch libraries, Business Information Services, a municipal reference library, and two bookmobiles.

Summary

The Forum did much to validate that librarians with indigenous heritage have unique strengths to contribute to the field of library and information science. The profession would benefit by creating spaces for indigenous knowledge and input. Libraries and library workers can be at the center, not only of the knowledge industry, but also of a knowledge transfer cycle that respects and is reflective of indigenous patterns of acquiring, preserving, and sharing information. The workplace can provide cultural fulfillment for both indigenous clients and indigenous librarians.

The impact of the Forum and the potential for future Forums to continue these discussions perhaps can best be expressed by the Te Ropu Whakahau motto, a Maori proverb that reads:

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Let us keep close company, not spread apart.

Acknowledgments

The author thankfully acknowledges the many contributions of members of Te Ropu Whakahau in organizing the International Indigenous Librarians' Forum. She is especially grateful to Lisa Mitten, Robert Sullivan, and Chris Szekely for reviewing this manuscript.

End Notes

1. Makoare, Bernard and Chris Szekely. International Indigenous Librarians' Forum 1999 [Preliminary Program] (Auckland, New Zealand: National Library of New Zealand, 1999), 8.

2. Szekely, Chris, ed. Issues and Initiatives in Indigenous Librarianship: Some InternationalPerspectives. Auckland, New Zealand: Te Ropu Whakahau, 1999.

3. Sullivan, Robert, ed. International Indigenous Librarians' Forum Proceedings. Auckland, New Zealand: Te Ropu Whakahau, 2001.

4. Commission on Human Rights. Sub-Commission of Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples. [web page] http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/imp/mata.htm. [Accessed 20 November 2001].

5. Sullivan, Robert, "Introduction," In Sullivan, Robert, ed. International Indigenous Librarians' Forum Proceedings. (Auckland, New Zealand: Te Ropu Whakahau, 2001), 8.

6. Towards the 21st Century: Strategic Plan of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa. (Auckland, New Zealand: National Library of New Zealand, 1998), 11.

7. The Customers' Voice-A Quest: Improvement of Services to Maori at Auckland City Libraries, A Survey. (Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland City Libraries, Heather Worth, Worth Consulting, 1995), 21.

8. Makoare, Bernard. Te Roopu Ratonga Maori. Auckland City Libraries Maori Services Team. (Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland City Libraries, n.d.).

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About the Author

Loriene Roy Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin
Email: loriene [at] gslis [dot] utexas [dot] edu

© 2000 Loriene Roy

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