We’re crossing the Pacific (ocean) and since there’s so much to talk about, we’re going to bring you a two parter that focuses on Aotearoa (so-called New Zealand). For part 1, meet our good friend and cat auntie India Logan-Riley!

Aotearoa wasn’t colonized until the 1840’s (for context, colonizers showed up in so-called canada in the early 1600’s). However, unfortunately for countries that were colonized later in the timeline, colonization had been widely practiced and perfected in India and the Americas by this point. The British had learned that assimilation instead of elimination was more efficient and cost-effective and being shifted from India to Aotearoroa was seen as a reward for the ‘best’ colonizers (yikes!). This resulted in significant land loss in a very short period of time - which is extra damaging when you live on a tiny land-base without many options of where you can go. 

Māori are known internationally for developing Te Kōhanga Reo (language nests) where children are totally immersed in their traditional languages from a young age. This model is now replicated by Indigenous groups around the globe (Finland, Canada, etc). Maybe our next season can focus on decolonization around the world?!