Walking backwards into the future: Prophecy as an approach for embedding Indigenous values in tertiary education

Abstract

Indigenous peoples understand time differently to Pākehā (Rangiwai, 2021a). Mahuika (2010) maintains that the notion of walking backwards into the future is a common one for Māori and other people of the Pacific. Roberts (2005) opines, “It is often said that Māori are a people who “walk backwards into the future,” an aphorism that highlights the importance of seeking to understand the present and make informed decisions about the future through reference to the past” (p. 8).

Towards an understanding of Io through Atuatanga

“…For Māori, time is not linear but rather cyclical and is best understood metaphorically as walking backwards into the future (Mahuika, 2010; Rangiwai, 2018e, 2021a, 2021h). Roberts (2005) opines, “It is often said that Māori are a people who ‘walk backwards into the future’, an aphorism that highlights the importance of seeking to understand the present and make informed decisions about the future through reference to the past” (p. 8).…”