Some brief notes on kai Māori

Abstract

Food is a signifier of identity and status (Hayden, 1998, 2009; Hayden & Villeneuve, 2011; Neill et al., 2015). In traditional times, Māori consumed a range of hunted, gathered, and cultivated foods (Royal & Kaka-Scott, 2013). As a result of this diet, non-infectious diseases were low among Māori due to foods with higher levels of protective chemicals and nutrients (Cambie & Fergusson, 2003).

Pākehā settlers brought new foods such as wheat and potatoes (see McFarlane, 2007; Wharemate, 2015; Zhu & He, 2020 concerning potatoes specifically), corn, cabbage, and other vegetables (Royal & Kaka-Scott, 2013). Pākehā also introduced sheep, pigs, goats, and poultry (Royal & Kaka-Scott, 2013). These new foods added variation to the Māori diet.

Colonisation and land loss has negatively impacted Māori food sovereignty (Shirley, 2013), and poverty-related food insecurity damages Māori health (Beavis et al., 2018). In addition, due to the consumption of cheaper, processed foods, Māori experience inexplicably high levels of obesity and associated illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes (Glover et al., 2019; McKerchar et al., 2021). ... Enamel mugs Hāngi Boil up and dough boys Bread Kāuta Kererū Mīti tahu Kānga wai Pōkinikini Tuna Hākari