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- Title of Abstract:
Branding craft crafting identity: The effect of branding on indigenous craft practice (Ref #164)
- Date:
- 06-10-2006 04:51:43
- Status:
-
Accepted with revisions
- Rating:
- 7
-
Details:
- Keywords: craft and cultural diversity, craft and wellbeing, craft management, craft and the economy, indigenous craft practices, branding
A registered trademark for the art and craft of Maori* artists was launched in New Zealand in 2003. As a government funded and Maori-driven project the mark has achieved significant success. The Maori mark is notably different from legislation in the USA, which requires Native American artists to prove eligibility for support based on blood tests and official tribal registration.
The Maori, toi iho mark was facilitated by the Maori arts board of New Zealand in consultation with Maori artists. Eligibility for the mark requires the artist is of Maori descent and that the work is deemed of sufficient quality.
The research comprises three phases. The first phase considers practitioner responses to the introduction of toi iho. The research is conducted under a Maori research methodological framework, including qualitative techniques such as focus groups (korerorero).
The questions this phase seeks to address are:
? How has toi iho affected the creative, cultural and economic dimensions of the work of craft practitioners?
? What are the implications of the mark on Maori identity and traditional aspects of Maori craft practice?
The second phase of the research investigates the impact of toi iho on Maori youth contemplating a career in craft. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative survey techniques are used in this phase.
Questions addressed in this phase include:
? What has influenced the youth to pursue further study or a career in craft?
? Do they aspire to identify to the tenets of the toi iho mark?
? Is artwork with toi iho attached to it any different from other Maori and non-Maori artwork?
? How do they feel about artists who are eligible for the mark but do not apply for it?
? What do they feel other craft artists and the general public think about work that has the mark attached to it?
The third and final phase of the research will be developed using a participatory approach incorporating Maori craft artists. It aims to suggest how Maori craft education and practice, and existing and future craft artists may be influenced by toi iho.
The conclusion will also aim to discuss the implications such a mark may have for indigenous populations outside New Zealand. The research has discernable significance for future craft research into indigenous craft, particularly as it relates to cultural diversity, well-being and identity.
*Indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand
**New Zealander of European descent.
Reviewer Comments: