TO BE FREE

During the recent hui on oil exploration at Ahipara we heard several speakers use the terms the strawman and the freeman.  These terms are key concepts in various international movements such as sovereign citizen, tax protestor, freeman on the land, and the redemption movement.

Here in Aotearoa, particularly in Tai Tokerau since the 1990s, an increasing number of whānau and hapū have embraced and used these concepts to reclaim, strengthen and practice their rangatiratanga and mana whenua.

 

Central to the beliefs and practices of these whānau and hapū are the thesis of rangatiratanga, and the antithesis of colonisation.  But, unlike those who have either given up or genuinely accepted the Crown as their sovereign, these whānau and hapū hold to the synthesis that they remain sovereign. 

I have been a spectator to this movement for some time and, because some of its followers were definitely crackpots and scammers, I was initially inclined to dismiss it out of hand.  However, a number of respected, reputable kaumātua and kuia are also part of it, and their participation has motivated me to explore it more.  But even more compelling a motivation is my personal belief that we are always on the verge of a significant paradigm shift in governing systems.

Currently all nations operate under manmade, fear-based governing systems that claim to be lawful, logical and enlightened.  But they aren’t the most of them.  Meanwhile, at heart every human longs for higher, love-based governing systems that are genuinely full of law, logic and light.  Even though we may doubt it could happen in our lifetime, we still hope for it.  But our hope also holds a dilemma.

Unless we are personally transformed to being full of law, logic, light and love ourselves, we will not be able to experience or enjoy any higher system of government, and for us all things will rapidly revert to being fear-based. 

In one of her last interviews, Saana Murray sang a brief pao then recited her poem, My Identity.  She captured both the dilemma and solution so beautifully.

Te pūtake, hoe i tere, i herea i te aroha.  He puawai korari, kaki te wai te maringi. Huri ana te moana te haerenga te wairua.

What will become of me if my rivals claim the victory?

Laws with claws like parasites, devouring my human rights.

Anyway, who wants authority and eternal conflict?

I’ll regain my own identity,

though I’m landless in my own country.

The open skies and glimmering seas are still mine and, they’re all free.

Free.  Free.