VIDEO: It's okay if child liberation and family abolition make you uncomfortable.
Here is the video version of my most recent essay on family abolition, in which I read the piece to you, describe all the images and videos, and respond to reader comments!
Ka pai te mahi Devon, thanks so much for this accessible format. This works well for my pakaru, fried brain at the moment.
I agree with what’s been said in your piece and comments on the main article about indigenous societies and their definitions of family and how these actually function. If you have an extended definition of whānau that encompasses ideas around mana and kaitiaki it’s not restrictive but liberating. For example it was traditionally common for children to be raised in whāngai situations, where (often but not always) a relative will raise and care for a child, they will know who their birth parents and whānau are, there was no stigma for the parents or child to be raised outside of the “family home” as raising children was seen as part of the responsibility of a well functioning society and tribe as a whole.
Children were not viewed as property, were indeed whole people, and were included in important discussions around iwi life. They learned to care for each other and the whenua/land.
Whakapapa however was and is still important. Blood lines, name, ties to land matter a lot. When Māori introduce themselves to others, pepeha is often done by stating where their ancestors come from, the name of their parents, where they live now, and the name of their mountain and river.
With this context I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the concept of whānau abolition, but certainly moving the white world definition of family to something that was more encompassing, strengthens both individual and collective mana and provides kaitiaka/ a guardian or many for those who need it. Which sounds a lot like what you’ve described.
Ngā mihi x
I really like this format and this subject matter! I've been talking about it a lot with people I know