supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

welcoming and farewell, sharing of kai, and other activities that reflect Te Ao
Māori” (p. 17). Although teachers from within each case study welcomed families
warmly they did not appear to do so in a manner that reflected Te Ao Māori.
Conversely, as questionnaire respondents noted, Māori spirituality can be perceived
as inconsistent with Christian spiritual beliefs.
However, Bone (2008) found in her research that spirituality (as opposed
to religion) could be found in the early childhood education landscape:
In this landscape everyday experience merged with the spiritual to form
the concept of everyday spirituality. The cultural theories of everyday
life supported a realisation that ordinary daily activity can become
wonderful and mysterious when the spiritual dimension is realised. (p.ii)
Spirituality and religion can be an area of confrontation for people.
Respondents reported that aspects of bicultural curriculum can be at odds with
monotheistic religious beliefs. For instance legends and stories of gods and
creation were deemed incongruent with Christianity:
I work in a Christian pre-school and therefore many Māori legends
(about their „gods‟) are not used (R. 109).
Because we are a centre with a special character and need to keep it as
such - because of our values, world view and Christian background we
are unable to incorporate some aspects/views/values of a Māori world
view i.e. aspects of spirituality/myths, legends (R. 122).
This research was primarily with mainstream centres but some people who
responded to the questionnaire worked outside of the mainstream. Their
comments, however, are included because they also may reflect beliefs of
individual Christian teachers within mainstream centres. Although Te Whāriki
includes aspects of Māori spirituality, discussion about Māori gods is not specified,
but connections to spirituality are found within the principle Kotahitanga and
strand Mana Atua. In relation to holistic development, Case Study One teachers
discussed what this might involve and, as shown below, S tried to make the links
clear for herself. Similarly, Case Study Two teachers noted the relevance and
importance of spirituality:
Just that it would be you and the child holistically, which is within their
culture and within their spirituality. So I guess if you‟re working on the
other area, then the well-being would be covered as well (Tr: S, 1/4/04).
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