História e tradição oral na perspectiva indígena: uma introdução ao pensamento de Népia Mahuika

Abstract

The article introduces Rethinking oral history and tradition: an indigenous perspective, by Maori and New Zealand historian Népia Mahuika, published in 2019 by Oxford University Press and not yet translated into Portuguese. The book offers valuable instruction to academic thinking from the experience and perspectives of indigenous communities, dialoguing with literature from the oral history and oral tradition academic fields. Among the contributions brought by the work, the article focuses on a few points in order to better characterize the form and dynamics of indigenous history and oral sources, as well as the dialogue with the main concepts that inform the field of oral history and oral traditions. It also brings the perspectives of Maori history and oral traditions closer to those of other indigenous and/or native contexts in which such notions are determinant, presenting research experiences in African, Latin American, and, specifically, Brazilian contexts. The text is an exercise carried out by a white researchers, who assume the posture of apprentices, willing to contribute to a rich and challenging discussion, from the careful reading/listening of protagonists who have not always had their voices and knowledge valued by academia.