The New Tribe: Conflicts and Continuities in the Social Organization of Urban Maori

Abstract

This study is about the formal retribalization of a group of urban Maori against a changing political backdrop. In 1987 Ngati Kahungunu people living in Christchurch formalized their kinship links with the intent of maintaining tribal identity in a metropolitan setting, strengthening ties to the tribal homeland, and providing a mutual support network. Urbanization is not the only factor; this event is also an example of a tribal group attempting to establish themselves corporately in another tribe's territory. Although this local development took place independently, it became part of a nationwide move to enable tribal organizations to deliver government-funded programs and reestablish sovereignty over tribal territories and assets. The paradox in this development lies in reclaiming sovereignty on the one hand and establishing socially active tribal satellites in another tribe's territory on the other. This paradox is often glossed over and ignored by both government and tribal leaders. I question whether the tribal satellites can survive as communal groups outside their home territories given the current development of the top-down processes of government policies and the elitist formulations of tribal structure and identity.