Paying attention to wairua
Healing the intangible
Keywords:
whānau violence, intergenerational trauma, wairua, whakapapaAbstract
This article discusses the crucial importance of two necessary priorities in the work of practitioners for addressing whānau violence that were noted in a 2004 report published in Aotearoa New Zealand by Kruger et al.: reconnecting a person’s wairua to the other dimensions of their person, and doing so while being mindful of their whakapapa. The discussion is conducted via the auto-ethnographical reflection of Fay Pouesi, kaitiaki of Black Rain, a kaupapa Māori approach that pays attention to wairua across generations, which has been successfully addressing historical, intergenerational and current trauma. It also notes the challenges that arise for training others – as Fay is increasingly being asked to do – in healing the intangible within a western-influenced environment.
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