Te Maramataka—An Indigenous System of Attuning with the Environment, and Its Role in Modern Health and Well-Being

Isaac Warbrick (), Rereata Makiha, Deborah Heke, Daniel Hikuroa, Shaun Awatere and Valance Smith
Additional contact information
Isaac Warbrick: Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Rereata Makiha: Tohunga, Kaumatua (Māori Elder and Environmental Expert), Kaikohe 0405, New Zealand
Deborah Heke: Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Daniel Hikuroa: Te Wānanga ō Waipapa—Māori Studies, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Shaun Awatere: Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand
Valance Smith: Te Ara Poutama—Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: The connection between the natural environment and human health is well documented in Indigenous narratives. The maramataka—a Māori system of observing the relationships between signs, rhythms, and cycles in the environment—is underpinned by generations of Indigenous knowledge, observation, and experimentation. The maramataka enabled Māori and our Pacific relatives to attune with the movements of the environment and ensure activities essential for survival and well-being were conducted at the optimal times. A recent revival of the maramataka in various communities in New Zealand is providing uniquely Indigenous ways to ‘reconnect’ people, and their health, with the natural environment. In a world where people have become increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, the maramataka offers an alternative to dominant perspectives of health. It also provides a mechanism to enhance the many facets of health through an understanding of the human–ecosystem relationship in a uniquely Indigenous way. This conceptual paper (i) highlights a uniquely Indigenous way of understanding the environment (the maramataka) and its connection to health, (ii) discusses the connections between the maramataka and scientific research on health and the environment, and (iii) introduces current and potential applications of the maramataka in improving health and well-being.

Keywords: Indigenous health; planetary health; M?ori; environment and health; decolonising health; maramataka; Indigenous knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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