Tomisin Opaleye

Studying abroad is a great way to reflect on your Indigenous community in your home country, and find common ground with people who might seem to be different from you.

The Māori concept that there is no 'wrong' worldview is something I try to remind myself of when dealing with other people from different places.

Understanding the history and culture of the indigenous owners of the land is important to being more mindful in living and working on their land. In the United States, Indigenous knowledge is a lot less known and it causes a lot more misunderstandings.

I respect and appreciate the efforts of Māori people to restore their culture in Aotearoa. I think that this zeal and persistence is something that I would like to encourage Nigerian tribes to be more intentional in practising.

I think a lot of settler colonial countries have a lot more work to do in terms of acknowledging the damage they’ve done to their Indigenous communities. While Aotearoa isn’t perfect, they’ve done a lot more than I’ve seen in the U.S. While you cannot change the past, it’s the responsibility of Pakeha to support and re-strengthen these communities.

I’ve always been proud of my heritage and eager to work to improve our lives, but being here has led me to ask so many more questions and read a lot more on decolonising the mind.

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