Racism and Name Changes

In New Zealand, there as been discussion recently of changing the name of the North Island from "The North Island" to "Te Ika a Maui" or, “the fish of Maui”, based on the Maori myth that the island was formed by Maui’s (a god) gigantic catch. The South Island will no longer be refered to as The South Island either, rather "Te Wai Pounamu"--the land of the greenstone, a sacred jade-y looking rock. Frankly, I think that the Maori names are much more charismatic than North Island and South Island, though they are a bit more laborious to type and say. I also don't think that anyone loses any skin off of their noses for the change, and that those who like North Island and South Island would be able to continue to refer to the islands as such without any reprecussions.

However, there is a girl I know, for anonymity's sake, we'll call her "Pamantha." Pam is living with a fairly conservative familiy presently and they have no soft spots for the Maori (or African Americans--definately not Obama fans, or homosexuals--that Tamati Coffey won NZ Dancing with the Stars last night was a tragedy on a number of accounts). Pam heard them talking this evening and was shocked at what she heard. Apparently, the name change is insulting to the English, who saved the Maori from eating eachother and destroying any sembelance of civilization on the islands. A visitor to Pam's dwelling even went so far as to say, "When will it fucking stop?" meaning that the Maori have gone too far with changing the official names of things to be more traditional (think Mt.Cook=Aoraki etc). Apparently, also the Maori are conspiring to take the land by naming it in their language and apparently, the implications of an indigenous people actually having some control of the land that has been colonized, is quite scarey.

I know that it is easy for me to be shocked and a bit judgemental about other's attitudes--I am an outsider myself after all, and cannot possibly have an understanding of the intricacies of Pakeha/Maori tensions. However, shocked I am. I always find racism shocking and am always surprised when it rears its ugly head--especially among people that I consider reasonably well educated and "urban"--rather than some back country red-neck who's never been more than 25 miles from home. But there it is, friends. No place is free from the evils of this world.