Meaning in Context
A sensory ethnography while in the ngahere/forest
Recent research has indicated that immersing oneself in nature for just two hours a week can promote optimal well-being. And, those two hours need not be all at once! A simple accumulation of 120 minutes over the course of any given week can induce the same effect!
Māori beliefs, values and practices are intimately connected to te taiao – the natural environment.
One way to find out about the value and meaning people give to the ngahere, is to go along and experience it with them while they are in the ngahere!
Where we went
Throughout our journey, we took time to consciously observe how we were thinking and feeling, and documented those thoughts, emotions, conversations and silences via video, audio and still photography.
A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS
Our hīkoi was an opportunity to move beyond physicality and experience nature intentionally, consciously, and with all our senses.
OBLIGATION: Due to our heightened sense of connection, we felt a greater obligation and responsibility to care for and protect these natural spaces, which was coupled with an extreme concern for specific environmental issues.
Intentional immersion in the ngahere promotes well-being and drives individual efforts aimed at environmental sustainability Image Credit: Centre for Indigenous Psychologies
Our hīkoi suggests immersion in the ngahere continues to enhance this connection to te taiao for many, but not all, Māori.
What this suggests is that initiatives that mobilise Māori into biosecurity should consider that:
