“It’s about providing a safe space for an open and honest conversation about healthier and sustainable alternatives for the menstrual cycle.”
This is a story from one of our kaiārahi, Arohanui West, who has been delivering our Ikura Wānanga online.
What is the Ikura Wānanga?
This wānanga raises awareness for the te ao Māori worldview of ikura. We talk about colonisation and its impact on the relationship we have with our ikura, and how in contrast, traditional Māori practices celebrated the mana of ikura.
We discuss the waste that single-use conventional products produce and how harmful it is to the environment. We also talk about the ways and methods of our tupuna and the modern alternatives that are available today.
Our Story
“Through this wānanga, I aim to empower people to reconnect themselves to the natural world.”
I have enjoyed hosting online wānanga ikura for both wāhine and tāne with some of the groups having 70+ attendees. Attendees appreciate the safe space this wānanga provides to discuss this topic openly and to share their personal experiences. I am often extended gratitude for the enlightenment provided by this wānanga and I find people are so inspired that they want to share this kaupapa with everyone they know.
“It’s about providing a safe space for an open and honest conversation about healthier and sustainable alternatives for the menstrual cycle.”
This wānanga is not exclusive to wahine, I have had solo dads attend in search of better and healthier products for their daughters to use. Kuia come along because they remember using the ‘rag’ back in their day and they want to show their moko that it is normal to use reusable, everyday materials from home. I’ve had women share stories of free bleeding and using their blood to nourish their plants.
By the end of this hour-long session, comments received include that they feel inspired to use reusable period products such as moon cups, pads, period undies, rags, and even to try free bleeding.
Impact Theme | Quality of Life
Many wāhine have said that using traditional and sustainable products, such as a moon cup or period undies has completely changed their relationship with their ikura and their bodies. Instead of dreading their period they are accepting of it and have become more aware of how their bodies react to the products.
A common reaction from young māmā who attend the wānanga is that they will raise their daughters to only know reusable period products.
This wānanga teaches us to celebrate this natural process rather than to feel shame or paru as the colonised system
can make it seem.