Wairua Hauora
By John Tipene
I have spent most of my life in and out of the justice system, which included spending time in prison. In October 2019, I was fortunate enough to attend the Māori Tikanga Wannga run by Te Piki Oranga at Te Hora Pa in Canvastown.
Te Piki Oranga Māori Wellness Service has been supporting me with my hauora since I moved to Blenheim and have set me in a path of wellness. To be accepted into the wānanga, I needed to undergo an assessment to find out what I knew about topics such as manaakitanga, whanau, wairua, Atuatanga and many other Māori protocols, practices and processes. These Māori values were not new to me as I was brought up by my kaumatua and kuia as a young boy. As I grew older, I began to lose my way and therefore lost the things that my kaumatua and kuia taught me. I started using drugs and alcohol, which led to committing crimes to feed my addiction which in turn isolated me from my ancestors and the teachings of my tupuna and messed my life.
At the Tikanga Wananga I was able to reconnect with the values of the marae, our kaumatua Pita Pou and kuia Ngawhakaara led us through tikanga and kawa of the marae. We woke up before dawn to the sound of our kuia’s karanga and karakia from our kaumatua. We were able to listen to the first waiata of the manu as the sun started to rise.
Our tutor Sonny Alesana took us into “knowing who we are” by providing us with a session on pepeha, he guided us through a presentation on manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, atuatanga and our roles as males and our wahine were also guided through these same topics by our kuia. The wananga was very intense, but at the same time, we were able to relax with kapa haka and of course plenty of kai.
As I touched on at the beginning of this article, I spent time in prison as a result of abuse, sexual abuse, violence. I was a patched gang member; in short, I was a feared man. I suffered from mental health issues as a result of many years of drug use and neglected the teachings of my elders. My wairua, my connections to my marae, ancestors and those important aspects of who I become a burden to me, played with my wairua.
My Journey Back to Me At the conclusion of the wananga at Te Hora Pā, I was given the opportunity to meet with Ariki Te Wairemana. This meeting took place in Motueka. Pūkenga Manaaki Brenda from Te Piki Oranga supported me. I was apprehensive and anxious about the meeting. Sonny met us, and we entered Ariki’s whare. The instant I entered the whare, I was transported back to the days I spent with my koroua and kuia. Ariki was able to tell me things about myself and my ancestors that only I knew. We did karakia, we sang old waiata, we did mihi, but mostly we sat in silence, and I started to cry uncontrollably. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, clarity and calmness that I had not felt for a long time. My stomach felt lite for the first time in a long time! I didn’t understand what was happening to me, but I knew that my journey to knowing and forgiving myself has begun. As a young boy, I was exposed to these taonga through my kuia, but I had no understanding of it. I know that my journey will have its challenges, and I know that not everything will pan out the way I want it. I know that there is a long list of people that I need to connect with to try and make right the wrong I had caused. I also know that my mental health will continue to be a barrier. Still, I do believe that my wairua healing has begun.
My goal is to wean myself from modern medication slowly. Then continue my journey into wellness through my culture, my artwork and continuing to work with my Te Piki Oranga whānau.
