Home > Journals > IJARE > Vol. 12 > No. 3 (April 2020)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.12.03.07
Disciplines
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Exercise Physiology | Exercise Science | Folklore | Health and Physical Education | Indigenous Education | Kinesiology | Leisure Studies | Other International and Area Studies | Outdoor Education | Pacific Islands Languages and Societies | Public Health | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Sociology of Culture | Sports Studies | Tourism and Travel
Abstract
Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand) are intimately connected to wai (i.e., water) yet are overrepresented in New Zealand’s drowning statistics each year. On average Māori account for 20-24% of all preventable and non-preventable drowning fatalities, despite comprising only 15 percent of New Zealand’s population. Drowning remains a significant issue posing a threat to whānau (i.e., families) through premature death being imminent and whakapapa (i.e., genealogy) being interrupted. There is limited research that has examined Māori and indigenous understandings of water safety within the literature and limited studies that have investigated the issue of Māori drowning from a distinctly Māori or indigenous approach. This paper proposes a theory of Māori water safety depicted as the Wai Puna model and draws on three core concepts pertinent to a Māori worldview: whakapapa, mātauranga (i.e., Māori knowledge and ways of knowing) and tikanga (i.e., customs, practices). Wai Puna provides the foundation for conceptualising Māori water safety in a New Zealand context and a way forward for other indigenous communities around the world to redefine water safety and drowning prevention from their distinct worldviews that reflect their unique beliefs and attitudes to water and thus to water safety.
Recommended Citation
Phillips, Chanel Ph.D.
(2020)
"Wai Puna: An Indigenous Model of Māori Water Safety and Health in Aotearoa, New Zealand,"
International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: Vol. 12:
No.
3, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.12.03.07
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol12/iss3/7
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Exercise Physiology Commons, Exercise Science Commons, Folklore Commons, Health and Physical Education Commons, Indigenous Education Commons, Leisure Studies Commons, Other International and Area Studies Commons, Outdoor Education Commons, Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons, Public Health Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sports Studies Commons, Tourism and Travel Commons