Te Awa Atua

Te Awa Atua is a groundbreaking study of menstruation in pre-colonial Māori society. Many early ethnographic accounts of menstrual rites were distorted beyond recognition by the colonial lense of their authors, yet their misinterpretations continue to be accepted as authoritative.

This book is a challenge to that authority. By examining stories about menstruation located in Māori cosmologies, tribal histories, oral literatures, ceremonies and rites, Ngāhuia Murphy argues that menstruation was sees as a medium of whakapapa (genealogy) that connected Māori women to their pantheon of atua (deities). Ancient rites, recorded in tribal songs and chants, reveal that menstrual blood was used for psychic and spiritual protection. These examples reveal striking Indigenous constructs of womanhood that radically challenge notions of female inferiority and menstrual pollution.

Published in 2013 by He Puna Manawa Ltd, Whakatāne

Waiwhero: He Whakahirahiratanga o te Ira Wahine: A Celebration of Womanhood

Waiwhero: He Whakahirahiratanga o te Ira Wahine: A Celebration of Womanhood is based on Ngāhuia's previous work Te Awa Atua but has been written specifically for whanau, rangatahi, the education and health sectors. Waiwhero is bilingual, having been translated by Sean Ellison, and is a great reo and kaupapa Māori sexual health resource.  It is illustrated by Regan Balzer.

Published in 2014 by He Puna Manawa Ltd, Whakatāne.