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Maori healers' views on wellbeing: The importance of mind, body, spirit, family and land

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  • Mark, Glenis Tabetha
  • Lyons, Antonia C.

Abstract

From an indigenous and holistic perspective, the current dominant biomedical model of health and illness has a limited view of people and their wellbeing. The present study aimed to explore Maori spiritual healers' views on healing and healing practices, and the implications of these for conceptualisations of holism, health and wellbeing. Six indigenous Maori in Aotearoa/New Zealand took part in in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a Maori researcher from March to September 2007. Transcribed interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis techniques. We found that Maori cultural perspectives influenced views of the mind, body, spirit and healers also identified two additional aspects as significant and fundamental to a person's health, namely whanau/whakapapa [family and genealogy] and whenua [land]. We propose a model called Te Whetu [The Star], with 5 interconnected aspects; namely, mind, body spirit, family, and land. Results are discussed in terms of the contribution of Maori knowledge to our understandings of health and wellbeing, and their implications for conceptualising holism, as well as health policy and care for Maori and other indigenous populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark, Glenis Tabetha & Lyons, Antonia C., 2010. "Maori healers' views on wellbeing: The importance of mind, body, spirit, family and land," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 1756-1764, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:11:p:1756-1764
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McMillen, H.Heather, 2004. "The adapting healer: pioneering through shifting epidemiological and sociocultural landscapes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 889-902, September.
    2. McKee, Janet, 1988. "Holistic health and the critique of western medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 26(8), pages 775-784, January.
    3. Vandebroek, Ina & Van Damme, Patrick & Van Puyvelde, Luc & Arrazola, Susana & De Kimpe, Norbert, 2004. "A comparison of traditional healers' medicinal plant knowledge in the Bolivian Andes and Amazon," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 837-849, August.
    4. Izquierdo, Carolina, 2005. "When "health" is not enough: societal, individual and biomedical assessments of well-being among the Matsigenka of the Peruvian Amazon," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 767-783, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bruno Marques & Claire Freeman & Lyn Carter, 2021. "Adapting Traditional Healing Values and Beliefs into Therapeutic Cultural Environments for Health and Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Yen, Dorothy & Cohen, Geraldine & Wei, Liyuan & Asaad, Yousra, 2022. "Towards a framework of healthy aging practices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 176-187.
    3. Bruno Marques & Claire Freeman & Lynette Carter & Maibritt Pedersen Zari, 2020. "Sense of Place and Belonging in Developing Culturally Appropriate Therapeutic Environments: A Review," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Bruno Marques & Claire Freeman & Lyn Carter & Maibritt Pedersen Zari, 2021. "Conceptualising Therapeutic Environments through Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Landscape for Health and Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.

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