By Jade Pearce

“We have a story about trauma. That story is rooted in colonization. We [also] have a story about survivors and that story is rooted in ourselves, our culture, knowledge, value system and sheer perseverance and tenacity. In that story of survivance, there are also stories of healing and that’s what we’re interested in,” said Linda Tuhiwai Smith, as she began her lecture. Honored as a Distinguished Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Smith is also the author of Decolonizing Methodologies as well as a leading scholar on indigenous trauma and healing. Standing in the William H. Foege Genome Sciences building, Smith weaves a story within a story as she guides the audience through her lifelong work: to understand Indigenous trauma in New Zealand and provide insight through an Indigenous lens towards healing from generation to generation.  

Using interviews and focus group methods, Smith and her colleagues developed a methodology, collecting stories directly from trauma survivors, their families and those who work with trauma. Through these stories, she relates how trauma is defined within the Māori community. She also provides valuable insight on how to “engage practitioners and policy people, so that they can assist [in] translating the research and [current] practices into policy interventions.” In sum, Smith argues that it’s not the government's place to dictate how to heal; rather institutions should be more aligned with providing resources and support while allowing community practitioners, indigenous experts and community leaders to treat trauma. “[We need the government] to stand to the side and allow our communities to lead,” said Smith.  

Throughout her talk, Smith emphasizes the importance of understanding the story of trauma through many lenses. Within the government lens, she states that institutions do not see or acknowledge the trauma that the Māori community experienced throughout their lives. Even worse, the government may even define trauma (or lack thereof) for the people experiencing it, and dedicate resources focused on “fixing” their version of trauma. From importing social program praxis to implementation, many of these ideas fall short of expected success across the country. Of the strategies implemented some have succeeded, but this was due to the adaptability of associated community leaders and stakeholders. By addressing this lens, Smith identifies the gaps of government intervention, which may exacerbate or ignore trauma within Indigenous communities.  

Further, Smith distinguishes types of traumas within and outside of the individual. For example, trauma within traditional care models focuses on the individual and less on the system the individual resides in. While it is important to acknowledge the individual within this model, it’s more important to include the “collective and the individual simultaneously.” Otherwise, true healing will not occur. This lens views trauma and healing not only at a “cosmological level, but a philosophical level.”

During her lecture, Smith also discusses the various ways trauma is imposed on the individual. Within the Indigenous community in New Zealand, individuals were alienated from their language, which led to an alienation towards their culture and values. Alienation also came in the form of private property, a British concept, which forcibly removed communities off their traditional land and families were separated through the abduction of children. The effects were so widespread and deep that it has forever changed the Māori community landscape, and while there has been work to rebuild what was lost, it is only a representation of the past. Moreover, the living memory of what was lost is pervasive within the community, adding to inter-generational trauma. Using this framework, Smith comes to the central concept of her work: He Oranga Ngākau. Translating to “the health of the individual’s internal organs,” it speaks to the person’s overall well-being (their physical, mental, cultural and spiritual health). Therefore, trauma is translated to patu ngākau, or an assault on or the beating of the sense of being where “every bit of you is hurt.” 

The questions then become: How do you stop the beating? How do you remove the cause of the beating? This is a task that is easier said than done. Through her work, Smith reminds the audience to focus on the collective and the individual. There needs to be a focus on the system and an understanding that everything is connected. “Every human, every animal, and every plant has a genealogy and that is what connects us all,” said Smith. Therefore, it is necessary to view healing as an interconnected pathway that addresses the various elements of trauma, which includes acknowledging the pain and the true effects of trauma.  

Smith also reintroduces the concept of medicine within her lens of trauma. In order to remove the trauma and continue towards the path of healing, it must be remembered that everything is medicine on that path. Moving to a concrete example, Dr. Smith discusses the experiences that the Indigenous community encountered moving through the social service, medical or school systems. Often individuals faced barriers in care from first interaction with the gatekeeper of that system. This could be a receptionist on the phone or a secretary at the school office. From microaggressions to verbal assault, these gatekeepers have unknowingly prevented the person in need of healing to access the care they desperately needed. This in turn reinforces a racist institution. “From the first interaction with that [organization], everything is or should be medicine and everyone has a role in healing,” said Smith. Therefore, the path of healing is multi-faceted and every element within the environment affects the healing that needs to occur.  

Other types of healing include reclaiming what was lost. “Over the last 30 or 40 years, Māori people have been on a massive cultural language revitalization journey.” This is commonly found in music and various other artforms in and around New Zealand. Within the last several decades, this revitalization project has created two generations of Māori speakers and institutions that serve the Māori community. And while it is still a process of rebuilding, protecting the Māori language has supplied a new avenue towards healing current and future generations.  

Other aspects of healing trauma include addressing the living memory of inter-generational trauma. These stories have been passed down from mother to child and the effects are so broad and deep that they are replayed within the individual’s being. This reinforces the negative cycle of trauma, but it also serves the purpose of shaping the individual's relationship to the collective; including the collective’s great past. Smith stresses the importance of keeping the memory of Indigenous ancestors alive. “It’s really important to remind people that their ancestors were awesome!” said Smith. Sailing across the Pacific, the Māori ancestors chartered foreign waters, mapped the stars as well as introduce various foods, culture and ideas throughout their travels. They were pioneers in the truest sense and some of the bravest in the world. It is important to remember these stories and while European colonization was a destructive period compared to the scale of the Māori history, it is important to remember these stories are only a small sliver of their history. Using this perspective, Smith emphasizes that while there are difficult obstacles to overcome, “it’s important to believe it is possible”  that through the strength and power of the Māori people, they can accomplish anything.  

Finally, Smith concludes the lecture by addressing the trauma within children and their path towards healing. “Our children experience or witness most of the trauma” and therefore it directly affects them. It is critical that their trauma must be recognized and supported through healing because they are the first line that needs healing. Smith emphasizes the importance of being honest with children and the trauma they experience. If left unchecked, these children will make up their own story about the trauma they are facing. Over time, that story solidifies within them as adults, and the inter-generational trauma becomes layered with the adult’s identity and becomes part of the perpetual trauma. One way to address trauma in children is to supply stories and ways of healing. At the time, Smith noticed there were no resources specifically for children that describes what trauma is to them in a way they can understand. Therefore, she decided to write a series of children’s stories that addresses the types of traumas children in the Māori community face to give them a tool and a voice that can lead them towards a path of healing and strength. 

In sum, the path to healing is multi-faceted, multi-layered and complex. However, it is not impossible, and steps are being taken for the Māori community to rewrite their story. This is a story where everyone and everything is connected within the community, and everyone plays a role in the healing process. Understanding these concepts not only empowers the Indigenous community, but it changes their story to allow a clearer path towards healing.