Matarākau: Reflections on Māori Healing Traditions in Taranaki

This project works to reclaim the stories of the elders of the Taranaki region in regard to traditional healing practices surrounding traditional healing. ‘Matarākau’ is not about knowledge for knowledge sake. It is about knowledge for the betterment of experiences as Māori. It is about recognizing the depth of knowledge held by Maori people, ngā puna mātauranga, who are our springs of knowledge and seeing those sources as having the potential to bring real change to the whānau (wellbeing) of Māori people. Matarākau is a symbolic expression of the eyes of the rākau (tree) that oversee our use of rongoā (traditional medicines). ‘Matarākau’ is a research project by Mahinekura Reinfelds.

Associate Professor Leonie Pihama (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Māhanga, Ngā Māhanga a Tairi) is a mother of six and grandmother of 3 mokopuna. Dr Pihama is Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato. She specialises in Kaupapa Māori theory and research methodology and is currently Principal Investigator for three Health Research Council projects (i) He Oranga Ngākau – Māori Approaches to Trauma Informed Care, (ii) Honour Project Aotearoa – Takatāpui (Māori LGBTIQ) Wellbeing and Access to Health Care Services and (iii) Ngā Pou HRC Māori Senior Research Fellowship, 2016-2019.

Organized by the IAS Research for Indigenous Community Health (RICH) Collaborative.

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