Character with moko in video game Starfield draws concern
The use of taonga Māori in an upcoming video game has some concerned that an appropriate and respectful consultation process may not have taken place.
A gameplay trailer released this month for Starfield by Bethesda Game Studios features a character with a facial moko or traditional Māori tattoo.
Hamuera Kahi (Ngāti Paoa, Tainui), the acting head of the University of Canterbury’s School of Māori and Indigenous Studies, said the benchmark for incorporating Māori design was to partner with Māori creatives.
"Tā moko convey ideas of tapu and mana, as they adorn whakapapa. For Māori, they shouldn’t be used to exoticise the aesthetic of a story.
“Working with Māori creatives ensures reciprocity, and correct use,” Kahi said.
“The frequency of a Māori look finding its way in to non-Māori games is a distraction for the more important mahi of Māori creatives telling our own stories."
Dr Johnson Witehira, a former board member of the New Zealand Game Developers Association and a digital Maori artist, had mixed views.
"On the one hand, some of our Māori community, rather than being caught up in questions around appropriateness, are just really happy to see our culture in video games. I get this perspective. It's about feeling included, feeling proud that something Māori is in there,” he said.
"On the other hand, some of our Māori community are concerned about how our culture is used in commercial spaces, especially by non-Māori. I get this too. Our culture has specific rules around how you do and don't do certain things. Even though these are often shifting, they should be respected."
Witehira said the big question was often around control.
"If others are using our taonga, such as toi Maori [Māori arts] and Maori patterns, how do we
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