Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
A ship's bell sitting in Te Papa Museum that contains an inscription in Tamil has long puzzled historians in New Zealand.
Believed to be about 500 years old, the bronze bell was found by a missionary named William Colenso near Whangārei around 1841, who came across Māori using it as a pot to cook potatoes.
Wherever it ultimately came from, the bell has helped foster stronger ties between the Tamil and Māori communities.
"The Tamil bell is really significant to me and my fellow Tamilians," says Raveen Annamalai, founding member and president of Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangam. "We feel very proud that there is some connection between the Tamil community and tangata whenua."
Ship's Bell, 15th century-18th century, maker unknown. Bequest of William Colenso, 1899. Te Papa (GH025355) Photo: Supplied / Te Papa
The bell inspired Annamalai to learn about Māori culture, eventually paving the way for the creation of the federation.
"Being from Malaysia, I brought the Malay muhibbah attitude and the gotong royong spirit, which is to embrace everyone and work together," he says. "That has inspired me so much, so I thought I need to work with the people of the land."
As a result, the federation has been meeting with local iwi since last year, gathering for the second time at Papakura Marae in Auckland on Saturday. About 350 attended the inaugural hui in Rotorua in 2022.
Annamalai wants the annual gathering to inspire other ethnic communities to start engaging with the tangata whenua of New Zealand.
"The Tamil community is setting a precedent with this hui - creating the bond, creating the relationships with the people of the land," he says.
Malini Radakrishnan, vice president of the Auckland Tamil Association, agrees.
"I think it's very important for minority communities to be able to establish themselves and understand the rich culture and diversity that's already exists in the place where they live," Radakrishnan says.
The gathering at Papakura Marae began with a pōwhiri and an official ceremony.
The event was attended by Mount Roskill lawmaker Michael Wood, Deputy Commissioner of New Zealand Police Wallace Haumaha and Bhav Dhillion, honorary consul of India in Auckland, among others.
"Our Tamil community in Aotearoa New Zealand is very special to me," Wood says. "This is how we build a beautiful country for ourselves, our children and everyone who lives here."
Haumaha recalled his experience hosting the first Tamil-Māori hui under his patronage at Waiteti Marae in Ngongotahā, Rotorua, last year.
"We had great fun," he says. "We shared stories, we laughed together and cried together."
Haumaha highlights the importance of such initiatives.
"How do we as a diverse nation come together and learn from each other rather than isolate ourselves?" he says. "How do we get that diversity of thought appreciating the different cultures that have come together in this nation? We do it through food, we do it through kōrero and we do it through occasions like this."
Dhillion says there are many similarities between Tamil and Māori cultures.
"From respecting the elders to treating nature with kindness, these two cultures are similar in many ways," Dhillion says.
Dhillion also extended support on behalf of the High Commission of India for the Tamil community for upcoming projects and suggested translating Thirukkuṟal, an ancient Tamil book of ethics written by a poet named Thiruvalluvar.
A member of Papakura Marae said that it was an honour to host this year's hui: "We are looking forward to the kōrero and we hope your kaupapa goes well."
The hui featured several presentations that covered diverse topics such as language resurgence and culture shock and concluded with cultural events and dinner.
Raveen Annamalai is president of Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangam. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Back to the future
At the annual Tamil Conference in November last year, the federation translated the Treaty of Waitangi into Tamil.
"The translation was not easy because it is not an easy document," Annamalai says.
"We needed a Tamil scholar at same time we needed a Māori adviser, but we got it through because we had a vision," he says. "We wanted to teach our Tamil whānau everything about Māori culture and history."
The group also translated 101 Māori proverbs as well as a gold coin to commemorate the Tamil-Māori partnership.
Annamalai says every Tamil resident of New Zealand should understand Māori culture.
He has organised te reo classes for the Tamil community in Wellington with the help of Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori.
"We want to understand the language and knowing another language is always an asset and since we are here [in New Zealand], we should learn te reo," he says.
Auckland Tamil Association President Vai Ravindran said that they are also planning to start te reo classes in Auckland very soon.
Mount Roskill lawmaker Michael Wood speaks at the Tamil-Māori hui in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Annamalai is proud of the federation's three-year journey.
"We organised the first Tamil conference in this country, which is a remarkable achievement for our community," Annamalai says.
He says the federation is working on many projects, including the establishment of a women's wing and youth wing.
"We're also planning for more workshops between the two communities to support one another," Annamalai says.
The federation is also working towards standardizing Tamil in New Zealand.
"We have already submitted the documents two years ago at the select committee in Parliament," he says."We will continue to work and advocate to standardize the language so it can be shared to the wider New Zealand public."
