Beer brand offends Maori

This is an example of cultural appropriation and commodiffication I found in the Herald a while ago. An American company called Funkwerks caused offence to Kingitanga followers when it released ‘Maori King Ale’. The ale comes in a bottle with a stylised facial Moko and the words “Maori King” printed on the label. A spokeswoman for the company said the brew is made with hops from New Zealand so the name is a nod to that. This person did not know the name of the actual Maori King but said they didn’t wish to offend people with the name.

I think this article points out the naivety of this company’s decision. They obviously went ahead with this project without consulting with Maori or learning anything about the culture they were representing. The fact that they did not want to cause offence shows how racist outcomes can result even if people’s intentions aren’t racist. This companies approach to this brand has resulted in a culturally inappropriate and exploitative product. They gave Maori no control over how their culture would be represented and had obviously not stopped to think whether they have the right to use their culture and represent them at all.

A lot of non Maori New Zealand companies take elements of Maori culture and sell them as commodities or incorporate Maori images into their brand so it is not surprising really that this has happened overseas. In New Zealand Kiwiana products are sold in touristy shops that often use images of tikis or other parts of Maori culture. A lot of places even sell jade necklaces that are based on Maori designs but are made using jade and labour from overseas because it is cheaper. Non-Maori companies in New Zealand and overseas are dissecting Maori culture into sellable units without permission or respect. If these companies are doing so without the involvement of Maori then the products they sell are not going to be of any benefit to Maori. The image of Maori that these products create may actually be harmful.

The offending beer bottle does not do anything to educate consumers about Maori culture. It doesn’t tell people who the Maori King actually is it just seems like a mythical image that the company has dreamed up. It is associating Maori culture with the consumption of alcohol, which is particularly troubling in light of alcohol abuse issues in Maori society. The article mentions a public health advocate wanting the exploitative and culturally inappropriate bottle removed from sale. It also says how this same health advocate had to shut down the tobacco company Phillip Morris from selling ‘Maori Mix’ cigarettes. Cigarettes cause a lot of health problems and have been particularly damaging to Maori society. I think that for a tobacco company to turn around and use Maori culture to sell cigarettes would have been particularly insulting and dangerous for Maori smokers. This American based brewery has made many eras with this product and should have really educated themselves and actually talked to Maori leaders. Unfortunately Maori seem to only find out about these products once they are on the market and damage has already been done.