Privileging Maori Metaphors To Teach, Heal & Restore Cultural Identity

This research asks whether metaphors can be used in education and mental health to improve Maori cultural identity. It asserts that Maori, like many other indigenous cultures, are doing poorly in many areas including mental health and education due to a loss of cultural identity, as a result of the process of colonization. It establishes that metaphors are effective teaching tools, and shows where they have been successfully used in many areas, including hypnotherapy. A framework is given, called The 7 Card Spread which guides the reader in how to structure metaphors within a therapy or teaching session. Card games are suggested to allow the teacher or mental health worker an opportunity to practice their metaphor building skills. The reader is taken through the process of writing metaphors using a map, where the problem, connecting strategy and outcome, are identified. Metaphor examples for both teachers and mental health workers are provided and discussed. The metaphors for mental health workers contain hypnotic techniques and are intended to complement their existing strategies. The examples to be used in the classroom are straightforward, without hypnotic content.