Today in Aotearoa New Zealand we remember the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, one of the foundation documents of our nation – sadly breached many times over in the process of colonisation. The treaty acknowledges the sovereignty of tangata whenua, the people of the land, (collectively called Māori). The opening phrase (Let us pray) and closing is written in Māori.
Ka īnoi tātou,
Dear God,
You have called us to be your people,
to live in your world
and to do your will.
Call to repentance
those who reap the benefits of colonialism
and yet do not see their privilege;
Grant your healing
to those whose land and sovereignty
has not been honoured;
Restore us to rightful relationships
with one another and with you
for you have made each of us in your image
and called us to love one another.
Ko Ihu Karaiti hoki tō mātou Ariki,
Āmine.
(Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.)
Jemma Allen is a priest of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and primarily expresses that ministry as a counsellor and spiritual director. She serves on the Board of RevGalBlogPals.
RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles without a link back. For permission to use material in paper publications, please email revgalblogpals at gmail dot com.
I thought a lot about Te Tiriti o Waitangi and traveled of course in pilgrimage to so many places when I was in Aotearoa. There are great imperfections in New Zealand history and in current attempts at redress but, oh my, in comparison to the United States you are a model for us to follow and hope to do even a tiny bit toward reparations with the many indigenous nations here.
LikeLike