RA1.1 PAPER: Interpreting Synchronistic ...

Mai i te Pū ki te Wānanga: Interpreting Synchronistic Meaning Through a Wānanga Methodology

April 2023

Matamua N, Moriarty TR, Tassell-Matamua N. 2023. Mai i te Pū ki te Wānanga: Interpreting Synchronistic Meaning Through a Wānanga Methodology. Knowledge Cultures 11(1): 84 - 97.

ABSTRACT

Making sense of synchronistic meaning between seemingly unrelated events is normalised within a Māori cultural context. However, westernised methodological approaches to exploring such phenomena are not so. Wānanga methodology, as applied through the dissemination of the concept of wānanga, offers a relevant, customised and culturally appropriate approach to facilitating interpretation and knowledge generation related to researching meaning between synchronistic events. Wānanga is a multifaceted, holistic approach derived from a Māori cosmological and ontological perspective that validates naturally inherent processes in connecting people to phenomena. Through these connections, we can interpret our interconnected relationships between events, objects and places to draw insight into their deeper meaning. Therefore, wānanga methodology extends our understanding of reality and how it can be interpreted. It further highlights the importance of Indigenous methodologies in offering new and innovative ways to explain and elicit meaning about the world.

KEYWORDS

wānanga; Māori; ontology; cosmology; methodology; whakapapa