New Zealand's Maoris and other Indigenous groups support Jewish reclamation of their homeland
In the news turbulence following the Oct. 7 pogrom in Israel, here and there one saw evidence of surprising Zionist bedfellows. A few months ago, for example, a fascinating video circulated on X, featuring, at an anti-Israel rally in New Zealand, a group of Maori men on stage in native costume performing their traditional warrriors’ “Haka” dance. The native words were unintelligible, but the cluster of Israeli flags amongst them, and the contemptuous affect in facial expression and body language directed against the pro-Hamas protesters spoke volumes.
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New Zealand, as it happens, is the headquarters for the Indigenous Coalition for Israel (ICFI). Its co-director, Sheree Trotter is a Maori scholar with a doctorate in Zionist history plus a research oeuvre on the Holocaust and Israel to back up her opinions. In a 2021 article for Tablet magazine, “A Light for the Indigenous Nations” (Israel being the “light”), Trotter enlarged on the parallels that exist between her own and the Jews’ claim to indigeneity.
While conceding that there is no universally recognized definition of indigeneity, Trotter points to benchmarks that are generally accepted, most crucially “self-identification; historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies; strong links to territories and surrounding natural resources; distinct social, economic, or political systems; distinct language, culture, and beliefs,” all criteria, she stated, that the Jewish people fulfil. Maoris find connections to Jewish culture in their own traditions of geneology-reading and references to ancestor burials. In particular,........