Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Kakepuku raua ko Pirongia nga Maunga
Ko Waipa raua ko Waikato nga Awa
Ko Ngati Maniapoto te Iwi
Ko Ngati Ngawaero te Hapu
No Te Awamutu ahau, tetehi taone iti i roto i te rohe ko Waipa
Nau mai piki mai ki tenei waahi
No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa
I have tried to think of a perspective to come from in terms of writing this blog. There is so much I want to say and share, yet I want to maintain an atmosphere of calm, while discussing and sharing information that will encourage a sense of belonging in this waahi (space) and safety in expressing our thoughts. We are all entitled to make conscious decisions when it comes to childbirth and my role as a Tapuhi, is to ignite our customary birthing rites. Regardless of where we are in the world and where it is we birth. Our Maori birthing rites and the birthing rites of all cultures, belong to us and are entitled to us on a spiritual level. When we are away from the familiarity and close knit communities of our homelands, we are without our customs and the grounding of the whenua (land) to blanket us in security. My role as a Tapuhi, is to ensure that as much grounding takes place to encourage a safe and secure environment to enjoy the haputanga (pregnancy), encourage a space of thinking that will assist in gentle birthing, provide haputanga mirimiri (pregnancy massage) to assist the flow of amniotic fluid surrounding our pepi (baby), assist with built up pressure on our lower joints and realign our spine and hips for comfort during the final trimester of haputanga. Provide a safe environment for our mama and their whanau to korero (talk) labor, birth, transition, breastfeed and access spiritual and holistic embodiment through use of Oriori (lullabies), Karakia (prayer) Takutaku and Kaupare (ancient chants). Oriori has the benefits of teaching our pepi their Whakapapa (genealogy), who their ancestors are and the history of their tribe. My explanation is an understatement in terms of the essence that Oriori has on birth, a mama, a whanau and a pepi. Karakia, Kaupare and Takutaku are just as equally important in acknowledging Io (our creator) Nga Kaitiaki (guardians) Atua (demi guardians), asking permission of the Tupuna (ancestors) and Kaitiaki to mirimiri one of their descendants and ask for their blessings and protection during the pregnancy, labor, birth and the life of the pepi. Also acknowledgement of the landowners of this country, as they allow us to walk their lands and ultimately birth here on their lands. We can never assume that us beings on a physical level have the ability to take on this task, hence the importance of asking and acknowledging from a spiritual level. This is me and the reason I choose to be a Tapuhi, in the hope that we can still contain our oneness with home, while on this whenua. In ending, I owe much of what I feel and know from my parents who imprinted a healing spirit within me and that of my whanau as a whole. My wonderful midwife Heather Muriwai for trusting and believing in my ability as a birthing Maori woman, Papa Hohepa Delamere for showing me an alternative to seeing the world, Wikitoria Oman for being the seed carrier of the knowledge handed down by Papa Hohepa and instilling this love in me for mahi (work) that I have been doing for so many years, yet felt insecure about where to begin. My brother Ezard, for being the voice of the Takutaku I hear during my mahi. Words can never truly express the gratitude I have for you all and words can never truly define how my work has been impacted as a result of your being who you are in my life.
