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Te mana o te whānau

20 minute lesson

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Mana and tapu are important concepts to Māori. This lesson introduces you to ways these concepts relate to parenting, and how whānau can acknowledge the mana and tapu of pēpi and tamariki in everyday life.

Lesson introduction

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Te mana o te whānau lesson introduction (transcript)

Who this lesson is for

This lesson is for whānau supporters. It will build or refresh your knowledge, depending on what you already know.

It offers ideas about how to use your knowledge to talk with whānau and suggestions for resources that you can use to support these conversations. Take your time with it. You may need to learn more and practise, before you feel confident enough to use these ideas with whānau you support.

If this is all new to you, or not part of your personal experience, then you might not be ready to introduce and use the names of te ao Māori concepts just yet. It might also not be appropriate for you to have this kōrero with whānau. But growing your understanding of the philosophy behind the concepts can support you to have conversations with whānau about parenting.

What you will learn

  1. Develop your understanding of the concepts of mana and tapu in traditional and modern Māori communities.
  2. Learn ways parents can respect the mana and acknowledge the tapu of pēpi and tamariki.
  3. Explore ways you could reflect these concepts in your practice and conversations with whānau, if appropriate.