Sir Apirana Ngata once said that realising knowledge of Māori culture, history and traditions is necessary to our education as people of Aotearoa, and that we as Māori are expected to have and maintain that knowledge. For those of us with Māori ancestry who were not brought up in the tikanga, it is up to us to seek it out. We can meet with our kaumātua, kuia and koroua and learn as much as we can about the history of the people and the place. We can search through literature, recorded oral histories and traditions, and the Māori Land Court records. We can also engage in archaeological research, with the permission, encouragement and involvement of the local community. Learning the history of our ancestors teaches us much about ourselves and can raise self-esteem and empower. Knowing our connections and where we come from gives us a sense of belonging and well-being. This is the driving force behind my doctoral research on Tikapa as an archaeological and ancestral landscape.