The relationship between Māori cultural identity loss & rangatahi Māori suicide

Abstract

This research explores the relationship between Māori cultural identity loss and rangatahi Māori suicide in Aotearoa. The McLachlan et al. (in press) Whiti Te Rā model of cultural identity was employed to frame the investigation with specific analysis into the six critical cultural ara of Whakapapa, Reo Māori, Taiao, Mahi-a-toi, Take pū whānau and Wairuatanga. A Kaupapa Māori research approach was utilised for cultural applicability and the promotion of Tino Rangatiratanga. Qualitative methodology guided data collection and analysis. Data collection involved (i) literature reviews and (ii) interviews with whānau members of rangatahi lost to suicide, seeking to understand the āhuatanga of the six cultural ara within the case studies (n=5). Interviews were governed by a semi-structured technique that looked to understand (i) the factors influencing the strength or weakness of each cultural ara; (ii) the state of health within each cultural ara; (iii) and identify causal relationships between cultural ara and wellbeing outcome. Reflexive thematic analysis showed that geographical location, generational knowledge transmission, and individual and whānau engagement were the global themes influencing either the diminishing or strengthening of cultural identity. Ngā Ara Wairua and Take pū whānau were also portrayed as the most compromised. The research suggests that optimal access to the three global themes potentiates rangatahi Māori to cultural flourishing and Mauri Ora; proposed as the most significant deterrent for suicidality. Contrastingly, suboptimal access to the three global themes is proposed as diminishing cultural ara as expressed in a state of Mauri Moe, where rangatahi Māori wellbeing is most vulnerable, and where suicidality has the greatest potentiation.