![]() ![]() The furore raised questions about greater protection for Māori taonga (treasures) under New Zealand’s intellectual property laws. Taiuru said: “I don’t know why but these social media tools are everywhere and they’re so easy to distribute.” “It seemed to calm down but now it’s started back up again.” ![]() “We had a stage where cultural appropriation was prolific, it was just everywhere,” he said. Popularity and knowledge of New Zealand’s culture overseas appeared to have sparked a new wave of appropriation, but it was no longer possible for companies abroad to claim ignorance, said Taiuru, who sometimes consults with firms that have faced criticism. Use of the tattoos without Māori consultation – or on wearers who aren’t Māori – have also prompted criticism of fashion designers, magazines, celebrities, and video game creators. Advocates, including Taiuru, have decried racist AI systems that do not recognise the faces of users with the tattoos. It is not the first time the technology industry has faced criticism over its treatment of tā moko. “I’ve seen in my lifetime people yelled at or assumed to be gang members because they wear a traditional Māori tattoo,” he said. But Māori had previously faced widespread discrimination for wearing them, making the use of the tattoos as an aesthetic tool on social media was even more inappropriate, said Taiuru. Social media users might also be applying the wrong moko for their gender only Māori men wear the full facial tattoo, with moko kauae – which cover the lips and chin – designed for women.Ī renaissance in the appreciation of Māori art during the past decade has sparked a renewed interest among Māori in taking tā moko. “They’re very sentimental, they’re very precious.” “The moko you see is that person’s genealogy and achievements and the whole design ends up becoming a treasure for that individual’s family,” said Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, an expert on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and intellectual property. Each is created to be unique to the wearer’s ancestry, which meant multiple social media users applying the same filter compounded the “huge disrespect” caused by the “highly offensive” tools, one analyst said. ![]() “These are clear that we prohibit content that demeans, defames, or promotes discrimination.” “We encourage our community to create Lenses that are inclusive and any shared on Snapchat must comply with our community guidelines,” the company told the Guardian in an unattributed statement. Snap, which owns Snapchat, told the Guardian it had removed one such filter – called a Lens – from its platform, along with a duplicate, after a New Zealand-based reporter raised concerns from the Māori community about the tools. Meta, which owns Instagram, did not respond to a request for comment. The Guardian viewed at least 10 such filters on Instagram at the time of publication, all with names that included “Māori” or “moko”, that were created by users of the platform. The filters prompted renewed questions about the treatment of sacred cultural artefacts on tech platforms, and debate about whether they should receive bolstered legal protections in New Zealand. ![]()
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