Indigenous health: Maori Perspectives

Dr. irirangi heke is a globally recognized Indigenous health expert whod eveloped the atua matua health framework, an approach that uses traditional maori environmental knowledge to understand health from an ingenous perspective.

On July 10, 2023, PHDR and C2DREAM co-sponsored a presentation at the UMN by Dr. Ihirangi Heke. He focused on Maori health practices rooted in environmental knowledge and conceptual frameworks. Atua = environmental knowledge. Matua = Putting it into practice. 

Dr. Heke shared that in New Zealand, the Indigenous people lead in cardiovascular diseases, incarceration and lung disease. He said Atua Matua is an effective framework because it focuses on traditional knowledge of the environment and how putting it into practice has positive impacts on the conversations around health, making it a long-lasting and meaningful framework for Indigenous people. 

This event was a hybrid event with 40 attendees online and around 30 in-person. Watch the recorded presentation here!