Ranga – An indigenous cognitive development framework

Abstract

This chapter examines mātauranga Māori (Māori ways of knowing) and Iwi (tribes and sub-tribes) mātauranga (knowledge) described as mātauranga-a-iwi (tribal knowledge). It presents an argument that mātauranga Māori and mātauranga-a-iwi must be linked to a particular context, drawing out the ideas that space and place are important. This theoretical chapter through Kaupapa Māori (a Māori way) identifies a series of key concepts that set the parameters for a discussion of the relationships between mātauranga-a-iwi, mātauranga Māori and Kaupapa Māori theory. I argue that mātauranga Māori, Kaupapa Māori theory and mātauranga-a-iwi are distinct entities but inseparable. This chapter charts the relationships among these three entities in a diagrammatic form, in what I have termed the Ranga Framework. The Ranga Framework proposes the working relationship between these elements that links space and place to people to produce contextual knowledge. By making the appropriate linkages to produce contextual knowledge Māori are able to locate themselves cognitively into the learning environment. I argue this is an important element that will help lift the educational success of Māori. It is important to ensure that contextual connections are a critical component in the delivery of knowledge, without which/otherwise Māori learners are in danger of reproaching mutant forms of language and knowledge, and thereby becoming disconnected from a more-authentic Iwi base. This chapter proposes an indigenous cognitive development framework to map engagement with new concepts and the stages required to reach mastery.

Citation

Doherty, W. (2014), "Ranga – An indigenous cognitive development framework", Māori and Pasifika Higher Education Horizons (Diversity in Higher Education, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 49-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-364420140000015011