Walking our pepeha: The influence of whakapapa on health and well-being

Whakapapa is the essence of health and well-being. Whakapapa is a tool, created by our tūpuna to frame our existence as Māori. By identifying the names of places and people, we create a timeline of locators of who we are, where we come from and where we exist today. The opportunity to “walk our pepeha” enables us to not only identify these places but also to engage with them, making the connection stronger. It is through whakapapa that we can identify who and where we come from; this is vital to identity and therefore to health and well-being. In this article we examine the experiences of rangatahi engaging with and learning about their whakapapa. Interviews with kaumātua contributed to developing a culturally safe and engaging case study titled “Walking Our Pepeha”. The article discusses two key emerging themes from this case study—whakapapa and identity—and explores why these two concepts are pivotal for Māori health and well-being. The lead author then explains how this case study influenced her future and how this research continues to be applied today.