Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Publication

Toi Tuku Iho: An exploration of oranga and mana motuhake through toi

Abstract
This research examines how mahi toi as process, theory, and output can contribute to oranga and mana motuhake for whānau, hapū, and iwi which is explored through the tribal storytelling practices of Te Whānau a Apanui. In this thesis, I argue that kōrero tuku iho is the umbilical link to our ancestors that sustains us with teachings; cultivating a richness and depth of self and connection through story. I demonstrate that the vehicles of sharing are as varied as the stories themselves and are known as “toi” or our creative expressions of kōrero tuku iho. The key focus of this thesis is to reveal how toi can be used to decolonise and re-indigenise research methodologies and facilitate transformation through praxis. Iwi storytellers were interviewed, sharing that within our toi practices lie a myriad of ways to challenge colonial structures and ideologies, ground us in tīpuna knowledge systems, and provide a space to innovate solutions to the challenges of te ao hurihuri (a changing world). The kaikōrero provided a collective and relational lens that fostered the development of a Toi Tuku Iho methodology. This was processed through a creative output that I created of a digital story that was filmed to reveal how knowledge through stories can become taonga tuku iho. A Toi Tuku Iho methodology is proffered to understand the complex processes of iwi storytelling and reveal the relationality between innovation and what this thesis refers to as the tipuna continuum. Themes explored in the thesis are an ecosystem of learning through people, place, story, whakapapa and time; how iwi oranga is viewed and contributed to by toi; and how mana motuhake is embraced and enacted through kōrero tuku iho. Furthermore, the application of kaupapa Māori creative practices to this research expands the academic confines of knowledge production to include Indigenous stories and toi. The thesis demonstrates that the research process, potential products, and outcomes, are transformed by using these practices. Storyscapes, timescapes, landscapes and generations past and future merge together, in this research, to facilitate dreams and aspirations for future generations. The collapsing of timescapes is explored through audio-visual digital storytelling, a medium known to manoeuvre time to enhance a story. I seek to amplify the power of tribal storytelling through toi to transform the spaces we occupy both within and outside of our iwi. Mahi toi ignites our creative selves to dream and can activate a belief to explore beyond what we know. I argue that Toi Tuku Iho has the potential to engage communities, on their own terms, in their own ways and for their own means.
Type
Thesis
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Date
2023
Publisher
The University of Waikato
Rights
All items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.