Mauri2Mauri

Wā Horoi

Kawakawa and Waitai

Presence. Presents.

Not here to sell you a product. Medicine is where it’s at

Last weekend I was invited to facilitate a workshop/Wananga through Manaaki Matakaoa at our beautiful marae, Hinemaurea.
It was the first time I took the rongoaa to my OWN Marae.
Spent the week letting that soak in, process and integrate. Allowing the observations I made aa wairua and aa kanohi really settle and give myself opportunities to reflect and journal.
It was a quiet safe space and I felt our tipuna observing. We were looked after in a space that felt cushioned and calm. A true sense of Ūkaipō🙏🏾

In this haerenga over the last five years it was our tipuna who have shown me where and how to find the matauranga. Sometimes what they showed me wasn't pretty, sometimes indescribably beautiful and profound but I haven't learnt it from books and our pakeke who held our secrets have long gone so I was unable to sit with them aa tinana. This last week I've felt a calm and pride in my haerenga but also surfacing is a little confusion as to why Te Ao Māori, our tikanga and spiritual beliefs are continuing to be attacked-from Government (that's a given) but also from our own...

Our spiritual beliefs are not wrong. To say that is to say we are wrong. The proof is in our toto, our whakapapa, nō ngā atua i heke mai ki te Ira Tangata.

When I feel into my journey as a whole the one stability I had was Te Ao Māori. I wasn't brought up in Te Ao Māori but our Marae, my pakeke and our values were most definitely instilled. I've journeyed though the pain of decolonization and the huge part the church played in that through my bloodlines finally coming to a place of total peace and acceptance for all religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. It's a nice place to be that acceptance.

BUT and I feel that this was the akoranga this week and an important truth for ME to stand in. If you recieve Rongoaa from me I will be using tikanga Māori-nō ngā atua Māori, to prepare that rongoaa. I've done too much mahi to believe or sway to anything else❤️