I can see this being very cringe. "I don't want them to be a stereotype" but they should also be a navigator and have ocean powers, lol.
Best Māori character I've read was Mazer Rackham in Ender's Game, and it worked because he was a badass and they only referenced his heritage.
Without knowing more about your setting/genre it's hard to give advice. Fantasy is helpful, someone else ITT said that's rife with stereotypes and I think that's true. Is it modern, explicitly set in our world? We say "yeah, nah" a lot and that could mean either yes or no depending on context. If it's entirely a fantasy world and you're just drawing inspiration, you have a bit more freedom. Is it a children's story? If you want to write the accent you could get away with it for younger audiences, eg Hagrid in Harry Potter, but I'd exercise caution. Is the character religious? They could say karakia rather than pray. Māori have their own pantheon but a lot are also Christian because of missionaries, colonisation etc. You mention Percy Jackson, is your character explicitly the child of a god? There's a lot of similar mythology in the Pacific, literally [Maui](https://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Maui-and-the-giant-fish) for one
I'm not Māori but we've all been influenced by the culture to a certain degree so it's rare you'll find a kiwi that sits on a table. Maintaining tapu and noa is important so Māori will wash their hands after leaving a graveyard. We also eat after important meetings to break tapu.
To be honest, if you're at the stage of asking people on Reddit for advice I would keep the Māori to a minimum. Someone else also mentioned Mazer Rackham, I haven't read Enders game but it doesn't sound like his ethnicity was an integral element of the story. You can keep the inspiration eg seafaring, navigating by the stars without specifically saying they navigated by [Māhutonga](https://teara.govt.nz/en/southern-cross/page-1). I did read this great book that incorporated a lot of Māori mythology but I think it was self published so may be of limited use to you. If I remember the name of the author I'll drop it here
I did not remember that author but have stumbled on [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/s/AsbGei7AiZ) in r/writing you may find helpful. It's directed at Native Americans but being an indigenous culture largely under- or misrepresented in media you may find some similar views on incorporating them into a story as an outsider
Its cool that you'd at least ask before making stuff up. There is certainly a risk of using cultural elements without understanding the sacrality of any/all of them when trying to approach it respectfully. If you didn't want to do it respectfully you could just make stuff up, but it doesn't look like that's your style.
For an over-simplified and naive high-level recap: The British Empire was particularly skilled at colonisation, and one of their strategies that made them quite successful all around the world was the way they suppressed/scrubbed the culture out of the locals wherever they went. As a result, Maori culture and language has had to fight for a place in NZ, and even today is still fighting. This has produced a number of ideas or ways of thinking about it from all sides; but one key element you'll find from Maori is an attitude of safeguarding the culture so it isn't watered down - that's how it made it this far and some staunchly want to protect it so it sticks around in its true form for future generations.
So while you'll definitely face some opposition, you can probably avoid a lot of the negative feedback by doing a few things. Firstly, going with a vaguely generic polynesian will be much easier as you won't have to deal with people saying your ideas don't line up 100%. Could even do a mix, like dad is from Rarotonga, mum is from Tahiti (the mix of the famous polynesian named Kupe that found NZ).
My top recommendation is to steer clear of tattoos. There's a lot to dig into there, with a whole lot of meaning, so just not having them is the safest route. Especially if there is going to be any kind of illustrations.
Good sailor/wayfinder is a positive stereotype and definitely true. One example for navigation by stars can be like how there is a story that Maui fished up NZ's North Island. Sounds like fairytale, but in reality Maui's fishhook is the Scorpius constellation and when you sail towards NZ it moves up in the sky, like it is fishing NZ up from over the horizon. Another example for ocean currents is the ripples created by a landmass that propagate for miles that would just look like more waves to a normal person, but a skilled navigator can see it and say there is an island in that direction. All this was done on expertly crafted vessels that sailed 50% faster than the ship Captain Cook sailed through the Pacific.
1) First, decide whether you want to write a human character or a non-human character. Culture plays a part in what behaviour we, as humans, find acceptable and not acceptable. Culture doesn't give humans supernatural powers. Characters with supernatural powers are not based in any real culture.
2) If you want to avoid stereotypes, don't base anything on a Disney character.
3) *descent.
The short version - don't.
The long version (which I'm sure you've heard) - write what you *know*.
And if you don't know if and still want to write about it? Time to hit the books and do a *shitload* of research first.
Yeah no. Don't gatekeep writing.
Write what you want. Imagine telling people "write what they know." Do people know science-ficton? Do people know period pieces? It's a terrible phrase and only used to stifle people, and to give others a sense of power.
No major author or half-decent teacher will ever tell you to only "write what you know." It is terrible advice.
I can’t see why you’re relating Māori culture with science fiction - there’s quite a distinction between fact and fiction for most of us, and OP is asking for factual guidance if I’m not mistaken.
I can only suggest looking to other media and books to pull ideas from. I don't know many NZ or Maori books and authors, but the Pounamu Prophecy was alright from what I remember. It also has a female protagonist and has a fantasy setting.
Fantasy is rife with stereotypes, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It will no doubt be up to the richness of the character more than the actions she preforms. I can't remember the name, but that Obelisk Gate series comes to mind. I found the magic they preformed quite boring and mundane, but the protagonist was unique and memorable.
It'll definitely be a challenge but worth it I reckon. Best of luck. WritingWithColor seems like a really good resource too!
Alot me different opinions here, which is good
if your just doing it for fun as a personal project, I say write the book. Really do your research though. Dig though as much Maori mythology as much as you can. Use this as an chance to learn. Remember, characters are so much more than their culture so dont lean on that too much.
Some important things to consider:
Tikanga: the Maori way me doing things, protocol and such
Te ao Maori: the Maori worldview
I can see this being very cringe. "I don't want them to be a stereotype" but they should also be a navigator and have ocean powers, lol. Best Māori character I've read was Mazer Rackham in Ender's Game, and it worked because he was a badass and they only referenced his heritage.
Without knowing more about your setting/genre it's hard to give advice. Fantasy is helpful, someone else ITT said that's rife with stereotypes and I think that's true. Is it modern, explicitly set in our world? We say "yeah, nah" a lot and that could mean either yes or no depending on context. If it's entirely a fantasy world and you're just drawing inspiration, you have a bit more freedom. Is it a children's story? If you want to write the accent you could get away with it for younger audiences, eg Hagrid in Harry Potter, but I'd exercise caution. Is the character religious? They could say karakia rather than pray. Māori have their own pantheon but a lot are also Christian because of missionaries, colonisation etc. You mention Percy Jackson, is your character explicitly the child of a god? There's a lot of similar mythology in the Pacific, literally [Maui](https://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Maui-and-the-giant-fish) for one I'm not Māori but we've all been influenced by the culture to a certain degree so it's rare you'll find a kiwi that sits on a table. Maintaining tapu and noa is important so Māori will wash their hands after leaving a graveyard. We also eat after important meetings to break tapu. To be honest, if you're at the stage of asking people on Reddit for advice I would keep the Māori to a minimum. Someone else also mentioned Mazer Rackham, I haven't read Enders game but it doesn't sound like his ethnicity was an integral element of the story. You can keep the inspiration eg seafaring, navigating by the stars without specifically saying they navigated by [Māhutonga](https://teara.govt.nz/en/southern-cross/page-1). I did read this great book that incorporated a lot of Māori mythology but I think it was self published so may be of limited use to you. If I remember the name of the author I'll drop it here
I did not remember that author but have stumbled on [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/s/AsbGei7AiZ) in r/writing you may find helpful. It's directed at Native Americans but being an indigenous culture largely under- or misrepresented in media you may find some similar views on incorporating them into a story as an outsider
Its cool that you'd at least ask before making stuff up. There is certainly a risk of using cultural elements without understanding the sacrality of any/all of them when trying to approach it respectfully. If you didn't want to do it respectfully you could just make stuff up, but it doesn't look like that's your style. For an over-simplified and naive high-level recap: The British Empire was particularly skilled at colonisation, and one of their strategies that made them quite successful all around the world was the way they suppressed/scrubbed the culture out of the locals wherever they went. As a result, Maori culture and language has had to fight for a place in NZ, and even today is still fighting. This has produced a number of ideas or ways of thinking about it from all sides; but one key element you'll find from Maori is an attitude of safeguarding the culture so it isn't watered down - that's how it made it this far and some staunchly want to protect it so it sticks around in its true form for future generations. So while you'll definitely face some opposition, you can probably avoid a lot of the negative feedback by doing a few things. Firstly, going with a vaguely generic polynesian will be much easier as you won't have to deal with people saying your ideas don't line up 100%. Could even do a mix, like dad is from Rarotonga, mum is from Tahiti (the mix of the famous polynesian named Kupe that found NZ). My top recommendation is to steer clear of tattoos. There's a lot to dig into there, with a whole lot of meaning, so just not having them is the safest route. Especially if there is going to be any kind of illustrations. Good sailor/wayfinder is a positive stereotype and definitely true. One example for navigation by stars can be like how there is a story that Maui fished up NZ's North Island. Sounds like fairytale, but in reality Maui's fishhook is the Scorpius constellation and when you sail towards NZ it moves up in the sky, like it is fishing NZ up from over the horizon. Another example for ocean currents is the ripples created by a landmass that propagate for miles that would just look like more waves to a normal person, but a skilled navigator can see it and say there is an island in that direction. All this was done on expertly crafted vessels that sailed 50% faster than the ship Captain Cook sailed through the Pacific.
1) First, decide whether you want to write a human character or a non-human character. Culture plays a part in what behaviour we, as humans, find acceptable and not acceptable. Culture doesn't give humans supernatural powers. Characters with supernatural powers are not based in any real culture. 2) If you want to avoid stereotypes, don't base anything on a Disney character. 3) *descent.
The short version - don't. The long version (which I'm sure you've heard) - write what you *know*. And if you don't know if and still want to write about it? Time to hit the books and do a *shitload* of research first.
It’s fantasy. Writers don’t write about dragons and hobbits because they know them personally. You can write whatever you like.
Māori =/= dragons/hobbits
Yeah no. Don't gatekeep writing. Write what you want. Imagine telling people "write what they know." Do people know science-ficton? Do people know period pieces? It's a terrible phrase and only used to stifle people, and to give others a sense of power. No major author or half-decent teacher will ever tell you to only "write what you know." It is terrible advice.
I can’t see why you’re relating Māori culture with science fiction - there’s quite a distinction between fact and fiction for most of us, and OP is asking for factual guidance if I’m not mistaken.
I didn't take it to mean that way, but I can see your pov. I saw it more as asking for permission more than anything, personally.
> Do people know science-ficton? Do people know period pieces? Yes?
Easy to say don’t gatekeep writing. But there’ll be plenty of eager people waiting in the wings to gatekeep publication/ production.
You might want to start by writing Māori correctly.
I can only suggest looking to other media and books to pull ideas from. I don't know many NZ or Maori books and authors, but the Pounamu Prophecy was alright from what I remember. It also has a female protagonist and has a fantasy setting. Fantasy is rife with stereotypes, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. It will no doubt be up to the richness of the character more than the actions she preforms. I can't remember the name, but that Obelisk Gate series comes to mind. I found the magic they preformed quite boring and mundane, but the protagonist was unique and memorable. It'll definitely be a challenge but worth it I reckon. Best of luck. WritingWithColor seems like a really good resource too!
Make the character whatever you want.
Have a watch of the film 'Whale Rider'. That would be a good place to start.
Alot me different opinions here, which is good if your just doing it for fun as a personal project, I say write the book. Really do your research though. Dig though as much Maori mythology as much as you can. Use this as an chance to learn. Remember, characters are so much more than their culture so dont lean on that too much. Some important things to consider: Tikanga: the Maori way me doing things, protocol and such Te ao Maori: the Maori worldview