Āiotanga: Using Trauma-Informed Art Therapy to Nurture a Māori Identity and Bring Balance to the Self

The following mahi (work) is an examination of the impacts of colonization on family, identity, and the vulnerable. It includes themes of oppression, abuse, intergenerational Indigenous trauma, and intergenerational Indigenous joy. I gently invite the reader to be mindful of their mind and body throughout reading this mahi, to take however long is needed, and to tend to whatever arises within you, during the experience.

Treat yourself with care; your tinana (body), your hinengaro (mind), and your wairua (spirit), are taonga, meant to carry the mana (influence) of your people forward.

Our tīpuna (ancestors) are with us, always.