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There’s a growing practice of recounting MÄori indigenous stories or pÅ«rÄkau as therapy and it is making meaningful change in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Health and social practitioners, and educators are increasingly seeking ways to incorporate pÅ«rÄkau, whakapapa kÅrero (history) and pakiwaitara (legends and stories) in their practice.
This a focus for Wintec Centre for Health and Social Practice academics Allanah Ashwell (NgÄti Porou, NgÄti Awa, NgÄti PÅ«keko and KÄti Mamoe) and Andre McLachlan (NgÄti Apa and MuaÅ«poko) who are exploring the applications of pÅ«rÄkau within the hauora (MÄori philosophy of health and wellbeing) space at Wintec.
In November last year, more than 50 MÄori health and social service practitioners and educators working within the Waikato attended a Wintec forum, NgÄ Matapihi ÅhÄkÄ« - Traditional Stories as Windows to the Legacies Left from our Ancestors. The forum explored the use of pÅ«rÄkau within therapeutic spaces. Speakers included Lisa Cherrington (NgÄti Hine, NgÄpuhi), and Moko Tauariki (Waikato).
The workshop was a success and Andre McLachlan says it inspired participants to create a Waikato-based group of MÄori health and social practitioners and educators interested in learning and applying pÅ«rÄkau in their practice.
"PÅ«rÄkau is grounded in narratives (stories) handed down through whÄnau to transmit traditional values and strategies for maintaining wellbeing and managing change," says Andre.
Last month a group of 27 participants continued their learning, attending a wÄnanga with Hinewirangi Kohu-Morgan (NgÄti Ranginui, NgÄti Kahungunu, and NgÄti Kahu) at Te KÅpÅ« MÄnia o Kirikiriroa marae on the Wintec campus. This wÄnanga explored the use of pÅ«rÄkau, whakapapa kÅrero and pakiwaitara (stories of whÄnau history, identity and connections) for the wellbeing of practitioners and its role in their practice with whÄnau (family/community).
Next month, Dr Diana Kopua (NgÄti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti) and Mark Kopua (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, NgÄti Ira and NgÄti Porou) will host a workshop for MÄori health and social service practitioners at Wintec. Dr Diana and Mark Kopua have extensive knowledge and experience of applying pÅ«rÄkau in practice, in what they have called ‘Mahi a Atua’.
They have developed Te Kuwatawata, a ‘single point of entry’ mental health service in Tairawhiti, which uses Mahi a Atua as a pathway to engagement, learning and healing. They will deliver a full day workshop, Mahi a Atua WÄnanga, on Saturday 3 August at Te KÅpÅ« MÄnia o Kirikiriroa marae at Wintec.
"Our wÄnanga are about growing spaces for ‘communities of practice’ (those who share a passion in a particular kaupapa) where we learn to appreciate critical thinking. Mataora (change agents specialising in Mahi a Atua) learn to respect kÅrerorero (discussion) and we value spaces and conditions where this dialogue can happen," say Doctor Diana and Mark Kopua.
"Mahi a Atua is a way of being, where Mataora (pÅ«rÄkau practitioners) learn creation and customary pÅ«rÄkau from our ancestors which support us in indigenising the spaces we occupy and liberating ourselves to thrive in the communities we live in."
Weaving together MÄori creation stories and contextualising them in our contemporary environment is the focus of the wÄnanga.
Find out more about the Mahi a Atua WÄnanga, on Saturday 3 August 2019, at Wintec.
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