85 pages • 2 hours read
Potiki
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Themes
The Repression of Indigenous Populations, and Their Struggle for Survival
The entire plot of the novel revolves around the attempts of property developers to remove the Maori community from land that is rightfully theirs, using increasingly underhanded tactics that culminate in the murder of Toko. This is foreshadowed by references to the Te Ope tribe who, during World War I, were tricked into giving their land to the government and consequently lost both their land and houses. However, the experiences of the Tamiahanas and the Te Ope people are not just a result of modernization and capitalist land development, but of attempts by colonial and postcolonial societies to marginalize them to the point of extinction. The institutionalized discrimination that the Maori have endured throughout history is acknowledged by Hemi, who comments on the education system's attempts to both disregard and censure his people's ancestors, customs and language. Similarly, Roimata comments on her people's severe underrepresentation in literature. Moreover, the subjugation of indigenous populations by western civilizations has firm roots in the history of colonization, which Roimata alludes to when she describes the stories her people tell of the money and power that "had broken our tribes and our backs, and made us slaves" (132).
However, the novel does not just portray the repression, struggles and injustices suffered by the Maori people; it also portrays their strength, resilience and survival in equal measure. Unlike Hemi's generation, who allowed themselves to be repressed, his own children and their generation want to assert their culture and traditions and fight for the rights of their people. This is exactly what Reuben does in leading a campaign to reclaim his people's lost land, and Tangi and James follow in his footsteps when they press charges against their brother's murderers. Hemi and Roimata also contribute heavily to the revival of their people's customs by reestablishing the land as the source of their livelihood and by "telling and retelling the stories and histories of a people and a place, and learning or relearning a language which was our own, so that we could truly call it our own again (107). In depicting the ability of the Maori community to put a stop to the criminality of the urban developers, the novel ends on a positive note and suggests that regardless of so-called “progress,” there is hope yet for indigenous populations around the world.
The Inhumanity and Destructiveness of Capitalism
Aside from the telling the story of a people's struggle for survival, Potiki is clearly a denunciation of the seemingly inhuman values of modernization and capitalism, which are embodied by the land developers who attempt to bully the Maori community into giving up their land. The very vision of the developers and what they are trying to achieve, by building a luxury resort with an underwater zoo designed to cater to tourists' desire for indulgence and entertainment, lacks any meaningful value. Additionally, it is completely at odds with the Maori society, which is founded above all on a love and respect for the land and a strong sense of community in which people care for and support one another.
This lack of meaning or value is encapsulated in Toko's description of the people who, along with the animals, would provide a circus-like attraction for the visitors: "Smiling, smiling, but nothing to be known from their eyes" (98). The desire that lies behind this project, and the attempts of the developers to pry the land away from the Maori community, is pure greed, which Stan acknowledges when he warns Dolman that there is nothing wrong with money "as long as we remember it's food not God" (94). However, as the story demonstrates, greed can drive people to desperation and lead them to carry out atrocities. As Reuben points out, the developers are so enveloped in their greed for money and power that they are unable to think rationally "because they have become just like their machines" (151). The desire for money and power is therefore portrayed by Grace as the root of evil and unhappiness; however, pitted against the power of humanity and a love for the environment, these forces are eventually destroyed.
The Relationship Between Humankind and the Natural World
The natural world is one of the principle pillars of Maori society. As Hemi tells Toko, the land and sea constitute the "whole life" of their people and are "the means by which [they] survive and stay together" (98). In their capacity to provide the Maori community with food, the land and sea are fundamental to the very existence of its people; however, in providing them with a livelihood and way of life, they are also fundamental to the survival of the Maori community as a whole.
The dependence of these people on the sea is shown by the constant presence of the sea throughout the novel, especially during significant moments in their lives. Indeed, one of the first things that Roimata says of her community during the opening chapter is that their houses overlook the sea, towards which their vision is constantly focused, "tides of eyes rolling in reverse action to the sea" (15). Since the sea is one of their main sources of food, the tides constantly command their attention. As for the land, which has been in existence long before the arrival of humankind, the Maori people regard it as their ancestor and, as such, treat it with the greatest reverence and respect: "We could not help but remember that land does not belong to people, but that people belong to the land" (110). Moreover, the relationship they have with the land is like the familial relationship the Maori have with each other: "Care for it and it cares for you" (176). This respect for the land stands in sharp contrast to the lack of care it is shown by the land developers, who destroy the hills behind the people's sacred land and pollute the waters.
The Relationship Between Life and Death
Death plays a significant role in the lives of the Maori people. As shown by the deaths of both Hemi's mother and Toko, it is customary for Maori people to dedicate several days to honoring their deceased, and visitors from the wider community travel from afar to attend funerals. The attachment that the community in the novel shows with respect to their urupa (burial ground), which is one of the reasons they refuse to leave their land, is also indicative of the continued importance of the dead in their lives. Moreover, the dead are considered very much a presence that continues to exist alongside the living. This is demonstrated both by the funeral chants, which call on the dead to join the living to mourn the most recent death, and by the depictions of Maori ancestry in the form of poupou, which adorn the meeting house. These wooden figures are made from trees, which the carver gives a second life to, pointing to the fact that the poupou are almost considered living and breathing replicas of the people they represent. This is certainly the impression the reader gets from the novel's concluding chapter, where Toko recounts the story of his death "from the wall, from where yesterday and tomorrow are as now" (181), suggesting a lack of distinction between the living and the dead, just as there is a blurring of time.
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