Te Ao Māori

Whakapapa in the cloud

06:07 am on 10 July 2013

A growing number of tribes are turning to the internet to capture their oral traditions and whakapapa.

The Maori GIS Association, which stands for Geospatial Information System, says it is a new way to preserve stories so they are not forgotten.

Chair Moka Apiti says iwi and hapu are working with him to upload their oral history and traditions online, using digital mapping.

He embeds the information to related areas on maps, through GPS technologies such as Google Earth, so it pops up when the area is scrolled over.

He says it's about taking Nga Korero Tuku Iho, or passed down information, such as a waiata, and putting it on a map where it comes from or relates to.

Mr Apiti says there are challenges with keeping such sensitive information in online storage clouds and also working out whose whakapapa is validated.