the book she wish she had growing up
In her day job, Dr Hinemoa Elder guides young people in extreme mental distress. In kōrero with Ataria Sharman, she explains how traditional Māori understandings of the lunar cycle guide her, and why she is sharing them in these tumultuous times.
There’s something comforting in the fact that as the moon orbits, we only ever see its face. There is a constant connection between the earth and the celestial body that coaxes our tides and keeps us steady on our axis.
“Hina, she's not turning around; she's constantly watching. I think this is a fascinating thing to think about, Hina in a kind of kaitiaki [guardian] role for Papatūānuku,” says Dr Hinemoa Elder (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu).
As a Māori child and adolescent psychiatrist Elder holds a kaitiaki role in her everyday life, but as author of Wawata Moon Dreaming, I think of Elder as kaitiaki for Hina, like Hina is for Papa.
Link to video and article: Dr Hinemoa Elder on writing Wawata - the book she wish she had growing up | Stuff.co.nz
