A Playboy model whose nude photos went viral last week has hit back at an online critic by stating, “Maori are not Indigenous”.
Jaylene Cook posed naked at the sacred Mt Taranaki and posted the photo on Instagram.
The New Zeland born model wore only her shoes, gloves and a hat.
She captioned her photo, praising herself for accomplishing the 12 hour hike up the mountain.
An Instagram user took offence to Cook's naked photo and wrote: "Hey Jaylene, would you do a nude photo shoot at a church or a war memorial, or do you only like to disrespect Indigenous sacred sites? Hope your five mins of fame was worth the curses that will haunt you for life."
Cook then made a startling claim, messaging back: "Lol. Get a clue before you jump on the bandwagon. Maori are NOT indigenous you ignorant tw*t."
At the time the nude photo was posted, many Maoris voiced their criticism and stated the model’s photo is very disrespectful to their culture and heritage.
It has been widely reported the mayor of the nearby town of Stratford, Neil Volzke, said the model had behaved inappropriately.
"It's culturally insensitive and not what I would expect someone to do on the summit of Mt Taranaki," Neil Volzke said.
Cook, who was born in New Zealand but lives on the Gold Coast, defended her photo saying she and her partner, who took the photo, did a lot of research beforehand.
However, Cook also said she had stripped down as 'a spur of the moment', and had not asked locals if this was appropriate.
Some local Maoris regard the mountain as a living ancestor. The summit is particularly sacred, and standing on the peak means standing on their ancestor’s head.
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