Maori Cultural Identity Tool - Houkamau and Sibley

The Multi-dimensional Model of Māori Identity and Cultural Engagement (MMM-ICE) is a self-report(Likert-type) instrument designed to assess six distinct dimensions of identity and cultural engagement inMāori populations:

The MMM-ICE is a quantitative index of identity that can be readily compared across independent studies of Māori peoples. The index was developed by Dr. Carla Houkamau and Dr. Chris Sibley in 2010; both of whom are senior lecturers at The University of Auckland. The MMM-ICE aims to provide a culturally sensitive, valid and reliable self-report measure of Māori identity and cultural engagement embedded within an Indigenous Māori context; ‘who’ a person is as Māori, how they ‘fit in’ with others in the socialworld and what that means in terms of behavior. The MMM-ICE is associated with the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study.

The Six Dimensions[edit]

Group Membership Evaluation[edit]

Group Membership Evaluation reflects the basic premise of social identity theory that individuals strive for favorable evaluations of their group or a ‘positive social identity.’^[1] The more positively one’s group is perceived, the greater the positive evaluations individuals can draw from when interpreting themselves. Having a positive sense of self as Māori has the psychological advantage of promoting well-being. Conversely, if people belong to a low status group, they may be prone to a ‘negative social identity’ because they may attach those negative evaluations to themselves.^[2] Thus, having a negative sense ofself as Māori has a psychological disadvantage, as group members internalize the evaluations held about the group category into their own self-concept. Since social identities are not only descriptive but they areevaluative, the position of one’s group within the social hierarchy is viewed as central to the self-experience of individual members.^[3]

Sample Group Membership Evaluation items[edit]

• I reckon being Māori is awesome.
• I love the fact that I am Māori.
• Being Māori is cool.
• I don't really care about following Māori culture. (reverse coded)
• I wish I could hide the fact that I am Māori from other people. (reverse coded)
• My Māori ancestry is important to me.
• Being Māori is NOT important to who I am as a person. (reverse coded)
• Being Māori is NOT important to my sense of what kind of person I am. (reverse coded)

Socio-Political Consciousness[edit]

Socio-political consciousness reflects a perception of the continued importance of historical factors for understanding contemporary intergroup relations; and how actively engaged the individual is in promoting and defending Māori rights given the context of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Issues include support for (or lack thereof) a Māori political party, resource-specific issues relating to theresource allocation and reparation for Māori based on historical injustice, issues relating to the symbolic representation of Māori culture and one’s positive (or negative) affective evaluations of Māori.

A high score on this scale reflects the belief that Māori need to remain loyal to their group and politically unified. Individuals, who score high on this scale are more supportive of The Māori Party (a political partyin New Zealand that represents Māori), and least supportive of The New Zealand National Party (the mainstream centre-right political party currently in power), for example. Such individuals typically identify themselves as both sole-ethnical Māori and ancestrally Māori.

A low score on this scale reflects the belief that Māori should operate independently and that Māori andPākehā historical relations are irrelevant for understanding contemporary ways of 'being' Māori. Those who score low on this scale will generally endorse the dominant ideological positions, political attitudes, and intergroup attitudes of sole-ethnic Europeans. Individuals who score low on this scale tend to identify themselves solely as European but have Māori ancestry.

Sample Socio-Political Consciousness items[edit]

• Māori would be heaps better off if they just forgot about the past and moved on. (reverse coded)
• All of us, both Māori and Pākehā, did bad things in the past - we should all just forget about it. (reverse coded)
• I'm sick of hearing about the Treaty of Waitangi and how Māori had their land stolen. (reverse coded)
• I think we should all just be New Zealanders and forget about differences between Māori and Pākehā. (reverse coded)
• I think that Māori have been wronged in the past, and that we should stand up for what is ours.
• What the European settlers did to Māori in the past has nothing to do with me personally. I wasn't there and I don't think it affects me at all. (reverse coded)
• I stand up for Māori rights.
• It's important for Māori to stand together and be strong if we want to claim back the lands that were taken from us.

Cultural Efficacy and Active Identity Engagement[edit]

Measures the extent to which the individual perceives they have the personal resources required to engage appropriately with other Māori in Māori social and cultural contexts. These personal resources include the ability to speak and understand Te Reo Māori, knowledge of Tikanga Māori and Maraeetiquette, and the ability to articulate heritage confidently (e.g., recite whakapapa).

A high score on this scale would reflect how comfortable and accepted the individual feels when they are among other Māori or in situations which require the active expression of Māori customary knowledge (traditional knowledge) and ways of doing things (such as participating in powhiri and tangihanga). This would also reflect the extent to which the individual is able to articulate and express their Māori identity by engaging in traditional Māori cultural protocols, values and practices.

Sample Cultural Efficacy and Active Identity Engagement items[edit]

• I don't know how to act like a real Māori on a marae. (reverse coded)
• I can't do Māori cultural stuff properly. (reverse coded)
• I can't do Māori culture or speak Māori. (reverse coded)
• I know how to act the right way when I am on a marae.
• I'm comfortable doing Māori cultural stuff when I need to.
• I have a clear sense of my Māori heritage and what it means for me.
• I try to korero (speak) Māori whenever I can.
• I sometimes feel that I don't fit in with other Māori. (reverse coded)

Spirituality[edit]

Measures engagement with, and belief in, certain Māori concepts of spirituality. This relates primarily to feeling a strong connection with ancestors, Māori traditions, the sensation and experience of waahi tapu (sacred places), and a strong spiritual attachment and feeling of connectedness with the land. This dimension is Māori-specific and is based in unique Māori concepts of spirituality.

Sample Spirituality items[edit]

• I believe that Tupuna (ancient ancestors) can communicate with you if they want to.
• I don't believe that Māori spiritual stuff. (reverse coded)
• I believe that my Taha Wairua (my spiritual side) is an important part of my Māori identity.
• I can sense it when I am in a Tapu place.
• I can sometimes feel my Māori ancestors watching over me.
• I have never felt a spiritual connection with my ancestors. (reverse coded)
• I think Tapu is just a made up thing. It can't really affect you. (reverse coded)
• I feel a strong spiritual association with the land.

Interdependent Self-concept[edit]

Measures the extent to which the concept of the self-as-Māori is defined by virtue of relationships with other Māori people, rather than being defined solely as a unique and independent individual. This portion of the scale assesses a constitutive representation or belief-based component about what it means to 'be'Māori.

Māori are more likely to experience self-conceptualization in terms of important relationships.^[4] This is manifest by a tendency for individuals to see their identity as inherently linked to relationships with others. The MMM-ICE interdependent self-concept scale also relates to the concept of the independent versus interdependent self that has emerged in cross-cultural psychology.^[5] This link suggests that the concept ofself for many Māori may be inherently linked or embedded in a collectivist identity network (see Collective identity).^[6]

Sample Interdependent Self-concept items[edit]

• My relationships with other Māori people (friends and family) are what make me Māori.
• I consider myself Māori because I am interconnected with other Māori people, including friends and family.
• My Māori identity is fundamentally about my relationships with other Māori.
• For me, a big part of being Māori is my relationships with other Māori people.
• How I see myself is totally tied up with my relationships with my Māori friends and family.
• My Māori identity belongs to me personally. It has nothing to do with my relationships with other Māori. (reverse coded)
• Reciprocity (give-and-take) is at the heart of what it means to be Māori for me.

Authenticity Beliefs[edit]

Measures the extent to which the individual believes that to be a “real” or “authentic” member of the social category Māori, one must display specific (stereotypical) features, knowledge, and behavior, as opposed to the belief that Māori identity is fluid rather than fixed and is produced through lived experience.

A high score on this scale therefore represents a rigid and inflexible construction of the essentialised characteristics that determine an ‘authentic’ Māori identity. This relates to various (often Pākehāconstructed) definitions of Māori 'race', such as blood quantum or appearance.^[7][8] A low score on this scale, in contrast, reflects the belief that Māori identity is fluid rather than fixed, and produced through lived experience.

Sample Authenticity Beliefs items[edit]

• You can always tell true Māori from other Māori. They're real different.
• I reckon that true Māori hang out at their marae all the time.
• True Māori always do a karakia (prayer) before important events.
• You can tell a true Māori just by looking at them.
• Real Māori put their whanau first.
• To be truly Māori you need to understand your whakapapa and the history of your people.
• You can be a real Māori even if you don't know your Iwi. (reverse coded)
• You can be a true Māori without ever speaking Māori. (reverse coded)

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Tajfel, H. & Turner J. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel (Ed.), Psychology of intergroup relations. Chicago: Nelson Hall.
2. Jump up^ Tajfel, H. & Turner J. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel (Ed.), Psychology of intergroup relations. Chicago: Nelson Hall.
3. Jump up^ Tajfel, H. & Turner J. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior . In S. Worchel (Ed.), Psychology of intergroup relations. Chicago: Nelson Hall.
4. Jump up^ Love, C. (2004). Understanding social wellbeing. Māori contributions. Social Policy Research and Evaluation conference, Wellington, November 2004.
5. Jump up^ Kashima, E.S., & Hardie, E.A. (2000). The development and validation of the relational, individual, and collective self-aspects (RIC) scale. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 3, 19-48.
6. Jump up^ Harrington, L., & Liu, J.H. (2002). Self enhancement and attitudes toward high achievers: A bicultural view of the independent and interdependent self. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 37-55.
7. Jump up^ Webster, S. (1998), Patrons of Māori culture: power, theory and ideology in the Māori renaissance, Dunedin: University of Otago Press.
8. Jump up^ Wall, M. (1997). Stereotypical Constructions of the Māori Race in the Media. New Zealand Geographer, 53, 40-45.
9. Jump up^ Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2010). The Multi-Dimensional Model of Māori Identity and Cultural Engagement. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 39, 8–28.
10. Jump up^ Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2011). Māori cultural efficacy and subjective well-being: A psychological model and research agenda. Social Indicators Research, 103, 379–398. doi:10.1007/s11205-010-9705-5
11. Jump up^ Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2010). The Multi-Dimensional Model of Māori Identity and Cultural Engagement. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 39, 8–28.
12. Jump up^ Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2010). The Multi-Dimensional Model of Māori Identity and Cultural Engagement. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 39, 8–28.
13. Jump up^ Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2011). Māori cultural efficacy and subjective well-being: a psychological model and research agenda. Social Indicators Research, 103, 379-398