Philosophy We Strive For

Kiaora e hoa (Greetings friend)
I have always been passionate about native (Maori) history and stories and retelling them to those who are interested to learn. Maybe it’s because of my strong native (Maori) heritage and the fact that since a child I have been drawn to my native culture which has led me throughout my life to learn my native language, traditions and history. This passion is now manifested in “Travelling Native” to be realised on a great scale, which is evident in our mission statement: “Connecting native narrative with the world”.

Although I first came up with the idea of an App that could translate the meaning behind native (Maori) place names back in 2013. It wasn’t until I took a trip to the United States and Canada in 2015 that the idea started to evolve. We were 3 native Canadians and me the “Maori,” we travelled from Los Angeles to Canada over 5 days in a rental car. Being the type of person who is interested in native cultures and the stories of the lands I travel through, there was very little to tell me what I wanted to know. However, if you were lucky like we were and had some contacts you were able to connect directly to the culture and the people even then that was only one opportunity.

So, it was from this experience that took my motivation to another level to connect the hidden stories of native cultures with those who are really interested to learn and know but don’t have the networks. Even with access to the internet the information found may be incomplete, inaccurate or even non-existent online.
If you are like me, a person who wants to know the true stories of the native people, their history and how they see the world which is brought to life through their stories. A person who wants to dig deeper than the landscape they see, who wants to know the stories of the land before the development, then, “Travelling Native” could be the thing you are looking for.

Lastly but most importantly, our world is in dire need of answers to bring respect and understanding amongst its peoples and to preserve the very planet that we live on. It is my belief that the native cultures of the world have those answers, that those answers lay in their stories and native wisdom. It is time those stories were remembered and retold to make the ultimate contribution to the story of planet earth.

Kia pa te wa (until our paths cross again)
Rangi Ahipene
Founder, Travelling Native