Today we are going to check out some te reo terminology surrounding hauora (health and wellbeing).
Hauora is the Māori view of health and wellbeing. It encompasses four different aspects. These are described on the Well-being, hauora, opens a new window page from the Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga (The Ministry of Education) as:
- Taha tinana - physical wellbeing: The physical body, its growth, development, and ability to move, and ways of caring for it.
- Taha hinengaro - mental and emotional wellbeing: Coherent thinking processes, acknowledging and expressing thoughts and feelings and responding constructively.
- Taha whānau - social wellbeing: whānau (family) relationships, friendships, and other interpersonal relationships; feelings of belonging, compassion and caring; and social support.
- Taha wairua - spiritual wellbeing: The values and beliefs that determine the way people live, the search for meaning and purpose in life, and personal identity and self-awareness.
The four aspects of hauora are often compared to the four paetara (walls) of a whare (house or building). Each wall represents a different aspect, and are all needed for the strength and symmetry of the whare.
Dr Mason Durie's whare tapawha model compares hauora to the four walls of a whare, each wall representing a different dimension: taha wairua (the spiritual side); taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings); taha tinana (the physical side); and taha whanau (family). All four dimensions are necessary for strength and symmetry. (Adapted from Mason Durie's Whaiora: Māori Health Development. page 70).
You might also like to check out Te waioratanga on the All Right? website to find some great resources that explore how Te Ao Māori and cultural connections support our hauora. There are breathing exercises (Hikitia te hā), activities that you can do with your whānau, and some articles and postcards to pānui (read) and toha (share).
In addition, Mauri tū, mauri ora (The Mental Health Foundation) have put together Ētahi ara e rima ki te ngākau ora (The Five Ways to Wellbeing). These are five steps that you can introduce into your life to support your wellbeing (Whakatōkia ngā rautaki māmā nei ki tō ao kia rongo ai koe i ngā painga). You can download this work as a postcard or poster.
A list of handy words to know in our current climate of Covid-19 has been put together by Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission). We have pulled out some of the phrases that you may want to use day-to-day below, but you can also check out the full list.
- Mate Korona, KOWHEORI-19: Corona Virus, COVID-19
- Patuero a-ringa: Hand Sanitiser
- Horoi ō ringaringa: Wash your hands
- Kiripākai Tinana: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Tū Tīrara: Social Distancing
- Noho taratahi: Self-isolation
- Kāhui: Cluster
You can download the Government's Covid-19 posters in Te Reo.
Toby Morris, Hēmi Kelly, and Siouxsie Wiles at The Spinoff have put together these cool covid-19 symptom checker tables as well:
Why not try some of these new words out next time you are having a kōrero (chat) with your hoa (mates) about how you are feeling? - karawhiua!
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