Te Iho Tātai-o-Rongo: Understanding FASD through a Māori lens

Overview

• Te Iho Tātai-o-Rongo: Understanding FASD through a Māori lens, anchored in whakapapa and kōrero tupuna.

• Purakau is presented as the foundation for understanding FASD within a Māori context.

• Discussion weaves together brain anatomy, neurodevelopment, trauma, culture, and whānau-centered approaches.

• Emphasises interconnection of mind, body, earth, whakapapa, and the wairua world through traditional concepts and modern neuroscience.

Core concepts and framing

• Te Iho Tatai-o-Rongo: FASD — framed within whakapapa (genealogy) and kōrero tupuna (ancestral narratives).

• Ro ake. Rolho left & right hemisphere of the brain, ha ora - karakia; karakia as a strand used in fukutuku (weaving metaphor for brain connections).

• Purakau (ancestral stories) as the foundation for understanding and interpreting neurodiversity and development.

• Neurodevelopment can be observed as staggered across development, with milestones across sensory, motor, language, and higher cognitive domains.

• Life stars and metaphoric language used to describe development and potential (e.g., ✰ life stars).

Brain structure and function (Māori–neuroanatomy equivalents)

• Poutuarongo: the brain stem (rear weight-bearing area)

  • Associated with whakapapa, tupuna hononga ki te ao wairua (spiritual connection).

  • Functions:

  • Basic life functions: heart rate, breathing, reflexive actions.

  • Physical sensations: eye and mouth movements; wake/sleep regulation.

  • Visual & hearing motivation and reward processing.

• Poutahu: the front bearing power — Diencephalon & Cerebellum (punaha io io)

  • Functions:

  • Balance and motor control: speech and movement.

  • Internal stress system regulation.

  • Communication in the cortex: the thinking brain.

• Poutokomanana: the heart of the whare — Limbic system

  • Emotional control system; links to rongo (sense/feeling) and memory.

  • Functions:

  • Memory: novelty seeking, trying new things.

  • Emotions: social language and affective processing.

• Poukaianha (Prefrontal functions) consumes the storms — Rongoa context with the Prefrontal Cortex

  • Tu & Rongo → Roro arotuki (standing in the mahau, the front of the whare) representing thinking and planning control.

  • Functions:

  • Top-down control: responding to internal messages and urges to meet current needs and context.

  • Working memory: remembering ongoing tasks.

  • Planning and decision making.

  • Cognitive flexibility: the ability to change plans.

• Summary metaphor: Tukutuku Ara tuhono (neural pathways) describe how brain parts work together to produce behavior, learn from memories, and be shaped by trauma.

Developmental timeline (conceptual Māori timeline)

• Tohu. expansion, connection across development.

• Te Kore RangilPapa > 10 (conception).

• To Po Rangi/Papa nga Atua (weeks in utero).

• Te Ao te whanau marama, Tamanuiterā (Birth).

• Life systems progress from sensory systems to the cycadian (sleep) system; all integrate with cycle of development.

Neural pathways, learning, and trauma (Tukutuku)

• Tukutuku Ara tuhono, nga ara ioio — the neural pathways that show how the brain coordinates.

  • Understanding how brain works together to produce behavior.

  • Learning from memories to inform future responses.

  • How trauma can impact formation and functioning of these pathways.

• Repetition and rhythm are essential: from the foetus (mum’s heartbeat) to the world (rocking, singing).

• Mauri balance concepts: Mauri tau, mauri oho, mauri rere, mauri moe — balance of life force across states.

• Tukutuku as a metaphor: lashing between Tupuni (outer bundles of raupo) and kakaho rods inside; Poupou & tukutuku tell a complete story.

Itamariki (children) and whānau approaches

• Itamariki (children) are raised in Māori/Tupuna ways:

  • Raised by hapu/whānau, not solely nuclear family.

  • Teina (younger siblings) and tuakana (older siblings) roles; less hierarchical structure.

  • Children are the forefront of everything; Tama-Ariki (royal child/child with special significance).

Colonisation and the concept of Kanorau-à-io

• Colonisation influences include migration, alcohol, drugs, illness, language loss, and land loss.

• FASO > Kanorau-à-io: Prenatal alcohol exposure effects on the brain and body.

  • Impacts learning, relationships, and connections.

  • Poutokomanan (social brain) and whare manhainhai (social spaces) are affected.

  • Influence extends to friends and their families; social networks can mediate or exacerbate outcomes.

• There are about 120 potential combinations of symptom presentation in FASD, illustrating heterogeneity and diagnostic complexity.

• The system has historically excluded kanorau-à-io peoples; changing mindsets involves restoring Māori knowledge and approaches.

Building the tukutuku: relationships, space, and empowerment

• Goals: enhance relationships and connections; adapt approaches to place and space; return to whānau-centered practices.

• Return RBHS (context-specific acronym here) and self-sabotage concepts; modeling and repetition.

• Practical supports include: home, school, and varied spaces/states of engagement.

• Focus on empowering whānau by helping them understand interdependence and the child’s needs.

• Ideas such as virtual reality for future preparation; acknowledge neurodiversity and inclusion in relational experiences.

• Western psychology often framed as deficit thinking; need for bottom-up, culturally informed healing.

Therapeutic approaches: bottom-up vs top-down

• Bottom-up / somatic therapy:

  • Focus on the body's response to trauma; calms the body first; non-verbal approaches.

  • Shifts from defensive to restorative state; foundational work situated at the back of the whare (brainstem and related systems).

• Top-down / cognitive therapies:

  • Emphasize changing thoughts to influence behavior; relies on cognitive skills.

  • Risk of stressing cognitive processes during trauma; may not address physiological arousal.

• Integrated approach for Māori contexts:

  • Start with foundational physiological regulation (back of the whare) and build toward cognitive strategies.

  • Recognize the role of cortisol (survival mode) and endorphins; growth requires more than temporary arousal.

Rongoa (traditional healing) and cultural practices in learning

• Māori have practical answers through Purākau (myths), waiata (songs), taonga (treasures), and ritual practices.

• Rongoa (traditional medicine) integrated into learning and regulation:

  • Maiata (chants), hands, and movement (e.g., Kapa Haka) as pathways to regulation and learning.

  • Kimu as a traditional practice contributing to healing during processes.

• The aim is to open up learning pathways and then activate the neural regions involved in learning.

Practical implications and strategies for education and wellbeing

• Emphasize building tukutuku that reflects the child’s mauri in relation to what they can do and how they feel.

• Focus on engagement outcomes: consistent implementation across different states and environments (home, school, community).

• Mindset shift: stop imposing external initiatives; instead stitch children’s experiences to real-world contexts.

• Empower whānau by helping nhanou (the community) understand FASD; use Purākau, waiata, and taonga to teach.

• Consider digital tools and simulations (e.g., Virtual Reality) to prepare for the future while staying grounded in cultural knowledge.

• Recognize neurodiversity and the tendency to be excluded from relational experiences; tune interventions to individual systems (e.g., hunger cues).

• Acknowledge that some Western clinical settings can cause distress; prioritize culturally informed, trauma-informed care.

• The goal is wellbeing through communication, relationships, and stable environments.

Key terms and concepts (glossary snippet)

• Kanorau-à-io: Prenatal alcohol exposure effects on brain/body.

• Poutarongo, Poutahu, Poutokomanana: Māori-aligned terms for brainstem, forebrain/cerebellum, and limbic system respectively.

• Purākau: ancestral stories used as interpretive tools.

• Tukutuku: the weaving of neural pathways; metaphor for interconnected brain function.

• Mauri: life force or vitality that must be balanced across states.

• Rongoa: traditional healing knowledge and practices.

• Nga mahi Arolahi, nga whanonga Papori, Pukenga kolora, To whakatau Aurongo, Reo nhakanhlinhakarongo, Pikenga Okiko: listed as aspects of trauma-informed neurological functions (conceptual headings).

Summary: why this approach matters for understanding FASD

• Combines indigenous knowledge with neuroscience to provide a holistic understanding of FASD.

• Emphasizes whānau-centered care, culturally grounded healing, and trauma-informed practice.

• Recognizes heterogeneity in symptom presentation (e.g., 120 possible combinations), challenging a one-size-fits-all approach.

• Seeks to restore balance by addressing physiology first (bottom-up) and then cognitive strategies (top-down).

• Encourages practices that are inclusive, empowering, and grounded in whakapapa and community strength.