A reflection on 10 years of Aho- 10 years of life, 10 years of Māmāhood, and why we're retiring our Aho Pēpi Collection including all of our Pēpi Wraps!
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Our textile products are made by our incredible manufacturing partners in India, and this blog is about why we choose India. We don't manufacture in China. Our kaupapa lead ethic has shaped and guided our partnership priorities as we seek to make the highest quality organic cotton textile and Pēpi products that embody our culture, not just aesthetically, but from the whenua to the whānau who make them. We're unapologetic and uncompromising in our pursuit of ethical, sustainable, mana embodying taonga that you can live with and share with your whanau and friends with pride and integrity.
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Do we still believe in 'support local', 'buy NZ made', or has that been usurped by the ever gloomier cost of living crisis? There's not much by way of answers here, but the need to put pen to paper was greater as I overheard yet another exchange about the magic of cheap internet hauls.
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I spent much of last year walking to and fro, to and fro to our local kura in what may have appeared peaceful, but the energy I carried simmered and seethed.
It was within the first week that our ever observant kōtiro stated matter of factly, “Māmā, at this kura, I’m not Māori or Indian. At this kura, they teach us to be Pākēhā, so I’ll just be Māori and Indian at home, or at the marae, or when we go back to India now…”. Continue reading
This is a cautionary tale about sowing seeds of trust into an institution that has Māori window-dressing (metaphorical, not that they were using our window film :) )
Not entirely dissimilar perhaps to the critique of non Māori businesses who mis-appropriate Māori names for financial gain. Window dressing. Enough of a taste to get you through the door, but nothing beyond the superficial.
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So 2023. Is going to look a little different and I plan to learn a bunch of new skills, both in business and in creativity, but also, and crucially, to strike a better balance as a Māmā in this very fleeting season.
This year, it’s my mission to run Aho as Pakihi. Still authentic, still true to our kaupapa. But just a little less entwined with my own creative meandering.
I hope to apply the business learnings to Aho, and savor the creative processes within the walls of our Kāinga.
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One of our most frequently asked questions is this:
“I’m Pākēhā, but love your products. Is it ok for me to purchase this for myself or as a gift, or is this cultural appropriation?”
I’ve thought many times over about trying to answer it, and always stumble with the idea that whatever I write may be somehow construed as the definitive definition of Appropriation vs appreciation.
But finally, after many scrapped drafts, I thought I’d offer you my own thought process.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”- Annie Dillard.
Each day, a small but definitive act of resistance against the tides of capitalism, consumption, more, more, bigger, growth, profit. And a gradual leaning in toward time, space, movement, observation, creativity and presence. Continue reading
