Indigenous song Pō Atarau, now in Ryan Gosling's film, reflects Māori cultural legacy and historical erasure
Original framing: “Her song features in Ryan Gosling’s hit movie, but Erima Maewa Kaihau was once a star too” — The Conversation - Global
Māori songs like Pō Atarau are deeply embedded in cultural and spiritual practices, serving as vessels of knowledge, identity, and resistance. Kaihau's performance of the song represents a reclamation of Māori voice in a time when colonial systems sought to suppress Indigenous expression.
The inclusion of Pō Atarau in Ryan Gosling's film is a powerful example of how Indigenous cultural expressions can gain global recognition, but it also reveals the deep structural issues of cultural extraction and erasure.
Erima Maewa Kaihau's legacy is part of a broader history of Indigenous artists whose contributions have been marginalized by colonial systems and Western media. By centering Indigenous voices and implementing ethical frameworks for cultural use, we can begin to correct these imbalances and honor the true origins of such cultural treasures. This case calls for a rethinking of how global media engages with Indigenous cultures, prioritizing collaboration, consent, and cultural integrity over appropriation and tokenism.