A Mana Wahine inquiry into indigenous governance
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis investigates the question “How can indigenous women reinvigorate their role in tribal governance structures when many such structures continue to reinforce gendered colonial constructs within which women are marginalised?” It is noted that contemporary tribal governance structures are often considered a site within which indigenous peoples can express cultural identity, however, when indigenous women are clearly under-represented in positions of power within those structures, this thesis questions why this situation continues. First, the thesis seeks to address the broad historical context within which indigenous women were subjected to colonial constructs of legislation, paternalistic government policies and the mechanisms of a euro-western court system policy. It is against this backdrop that comparisons are drawn that take into account the historical relationships between Māori, First Nations, Aboriginal, and Native American women and their respective colonising governments which bear alarming similarities in terms of the subjugation of these populations of women through colonisation. The significance of this historical-comparative lens is to illustrate how the status of women became seriously eroded within indigenous societies from traditional through to modern times. Consequently, this thesis goes on to explore the contemporary socio-political status of indigenous women as a result of their colonised history. From this broad historical context, the thesis narrows its view to examine commonalities and differences in relation to Māori and Native American women's experiences of tribal governance as tribal leaders and women of cultural significance and influence. The thesis changes tack to reflect the specific research intent of my Fulbright scholar experience to the University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona. Narrowing the focus of the research allowed me to analyse in more detail, beneficial comparisons of what was working for women tribal leaders under th…
abstract: This thesis investigates the question “How can indigenous women reinvigorate their role in tribal governance structures when many such structures continue to reinforce gendered colonial constructs within which women are marginalised?” It is noted that contemporary tribal governance structures are often considered a site within which indigenous peoples can express cultural identity, however, when indigenous women are clearly under-represented in positions of power within those structures, this thesis questions why this situation continues. First, the thesis seeks to address the broad historical context within which indigenous women were subjected to colonial constructs of legislation, paternalistic government policies and the mechanisms of a euro-western court system policy. It is against this backdrop that comparisons are drawn that take into account the historical relationships between Māori, First Nations, Aboriginal, and Native American women and their respective colonising governments which bear alarming similarities in terms of the subjugation of these populations of women through colonisation. The significance of this historical-comparative lens is to illustrate how the status of women became seriously eroded within indigenous societies from traditional through to modern times. Consequently, this thesis goes on to explore the contemporary socio-political status of indigenous women as a result of their colonised history. From this broad historical context, the thesis narrows its view to examine commonalities and differences in relation to Māori and Native American women's experiences of tribal governance as tribal leaders and women of cultural significance and influence. The thesis changes tack to reflect the specific research intent of my Fulbright scholar experience to the University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona. Narrowing the focus of the research allowed me to analyse in more detail, beneficial comparisons of what was working for women tribal leaders under th…
author: Toi, Sharon Marjorie
keywords: Mana Wahine, Governance, Indigenous, Feminism, Maori Governance, Treaty of Waitangi, Waitangi Trbunal, indigenous law, legal traditions, comparative, Ngapuhi, patriarchy, resistance, struggle, indigenous women
license: https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstreams/dbc3d0b2-3e1f-4ecf-bc0c-62059496ce02/download
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:57:55Z
provider: University Waikato
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Waikato