Not plastic: Isaac Martyn’s one-man show at WORD Christchurch 2024

It's a largely Pākehā crowd that mills about the bar area of Little Andromeda ahead of Isaac Martyn's one-man show, He Māori? In my mind I had expected more Māori to be at this one, but kei te pai. I assume we're all here out of curiosity or personal interest. 

The description for the show in the WORD programme asks "What does it mean to reclaim Māoritanga from a Pākehā upbringing?" As someone who was raised without much Māori culture or language this has been an ongoing theme throughout my life so I'm keen to hear what someone else's experience of that has been like. The content warning on the door into the theatre space lets us know a little of what we're in for.

It's such a small intimate setting I don't feel comfortable taking photos during the performance so just take a look at the one below, from the WORD programme and imagine the man pictured has shorter hair now.

Isaac Martyn scoots across the stage in shorts and a Boston Celtics tank, and takes a seat in the front row like someone who arrived slightly late to a hui and then proceeds to have a conversation at the audience about how he "won't have to speak, eh?"

I mean, I'm pretty sure you will, my dude. This is your show, after all. 

This, it turns out is a partial reenactment of his first ever visit to a marae, and the awkwardness fairly oozes out of him.

Over the course of an hour there'll be more awkwardness, and, as per the sign on the door, some very high curse-counts at certain points (if you were silly enough to try and count the number of F-bombs during the show, one song in particular will leave you incapable of keeping up).

The show is interspersed with songs, with Martyn picking up a gat and singing songs mostly of his own making. There are jokes, and lot of physicality. One particularly effective segment has the 1/16th of Martyn that is Māori (it's his middle finger, jks) having a gollum-like argument with the good old Kiwi Pākehā bloke that is also part of his make-up. Lighting and body position flick back and forth between the two, with "Pākehā Isaac" sounding very much like someone who listens to talkback radio.

Another memorable bit has Martyn asking the audience if they've heard of "Te Rangatira o Ngā Mōwhiti" several times, explaining the story in te reo. It's only when he starts saying "Gandalf" and "Frodo" that we understand that he is talking about that most indigenous of tales, "The Lord of the Rings". As an audience (and a culture, generally) we are much more conversant in the "lore" of an entirely made up land than we are the traditional stories of Aotearoa (a few of Māui's exploits notwithstanding).

But it's not just Middle Earth references as Martyn shares some of the experiences he's had as a light-skinned Māori person. Racist people sometimes confide in him, unaware of his Māori whakapapa, and he feels shame that he hasn't always known what to do or say in that situation. He hasn't always pushed back. He talks about how he and his brothers have supposedly "olive skin" (according to their mum) that come the summertime gives them "neapolitan arms" - pink for the sunburnt bits, white where the sun hadn't got to, and the very milky chocolate, "maybe caramilk" of a tan. He is more than familiar with the term "plastic Māori".

Martyn pokes fun at himself, sure, but also well-meaning Pākehā, describing "The Pākehā Freeze" as that moment in a conversation where you use just a bit more te reo than they are capable of following. He also takes aim at English for its ridiculous spelling which Māori is much more consistent on - and suggests we try Māori Wordle aka PANGA.

He talks about how he decided to try and learn te reo in 2019, not especially from a desire to connect with his Māori-ness but more as an interested New Zealander. But what an impactful moment it was to realise that his incredibly fluent kaiako was as white as he was. Doors within him opened. Things changed. He stopped questioning himself so much. In the modern parlance, he's been on a journey.

It ends, as it should, on a waiata - He kākano āhau. It's a banger that always gives me chills:

I am a seed
Scattered from Rangiātea
And I can never be lost
I am a seed, born of greatness
Descended from a line of chiefs,
I am a seed.

I ruia mai i Rangiātea
E kore au e ngaro
He kākano mai i Rangiātea
Mai i ngā tīpuna, ngā rangatira
He kākano ahau

It's a song that talks about knowing who you are and where you come from and finding strength and resilience in that knowledge.

There's a very generous Q and A after the show during which Martyn answers any and every question, and even offers to chat longer afterwards in the bar if there is ongoing kōrero. It's also during this Q and A that Martyn confirms that the name of the show "He Māori?" is a bilingual pun that can be read in both languages. Tino pai.

There are good questions, like how do Pākehā show up, especially new migrants? What can they do to support Te Ao Māori? Martyn suggests that making some efforts with te reo is a good start. Focus on pronunciation to start with. It will show that you're making an effort. 

There are more and Martyn answers them with genuine care and consideration. Not the content we were warned about, just the content we needed.

More WORD Christchurch

• Our WORD Christchurch 2024 coverage - Library staff report back from WORD sessions
• WORD Christchurch website
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