The Healing Power of Māori Women’s Ancestral Mark
Shonelle Wana, Ph.D., Yesenia Cortés
Volume 25, Number 2 (2026) 25 (2): 87-99
Keywords Mana Wahine, moko kauae, Māori women, Indigenous healing, decolonization, whakapapa, Indigenous epistemologies, cultural identity
Abstract
This paper explores the interaction between feminist and Indigenous epistemologies with a particular focus on Māori women in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the contributions of Mana Wahine theory (the authority of Māori women). Māori are the Indigenous people of Aotearoa, with connections to land, environment, cultural traditions, and a worldview shaped by whakapapa (genealogy), wairua (spirituality), and collective identity. Colonization disrupted many of these traditions; however, Māori
women have continued to hold and transmit Indigenous knowledge through the generations. This paper validates the healing practice of moko kauae (traditional female chin tattoo) as a prime example of Mana Wahine. The apaper examines how Western feminist approaches can both align with and diverge from Indigenous ways of knowing. Drawing on Mana Wahine theory and the lived experiences of Māori women, it affirms the centrality of cultural identity in understanding Māori women’s health
and healing.
Shonelle Wana, Ph.D.
Yesenia Cortés
Published January 14, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Bardwell-Jones, Celia T., and Margaret A. McLaren. 2020. "Introduction to Indigenizing and Decolonizing Feminist Philosophy." Hypatia 34 (3): 403-409. https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2019.19.
https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2019.19
Binney, Judith, and Gillian Chaplin. 1990. Ngā Morehu: The Survivors. The Life Histories of Eight Māori Women. Auckland: Auckland University Press / Bridget Williams Books.
Duley, Turumakina. 2025. Te Ahi Mānuka: Reigniting the Ritual Fires of Moko for Ngāti Awa. Doctoral thesis, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Mead, Hirini Moko. 2003. Tikanga Māori: Living by Māori Values. Wellington: Huia Publishers.
Mikaere, Ani. 2011. Colonising Myths-Māori Realities: He Rukuruku Whakaaro. Wellington: Huia Publishers.
Nicholson, Angela. 2020. "Te Hihiri: A Process of Coming to Know." MAI Journal 9 (2): 133-142. https://doi.org/10.20507/MAIJournal.2020.9.2.4.
https://doi.org/10.20507/MAIJournal.2020.9.2.4
NZ Herald. 2022. "Experts Say Increase in Online Racism towards Māori, Especially Wāhine Māori, Is Concerning." New Zealand Herald, September 26. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/experts-say-increase-in-online-racism-towards-maori-especially-wahine-maori-is-concerning/X6MX2O23EG4GM2U5BLCK7ZQONY/.
Phillips, Christine H. 2012. Theorizing Aboriginal Feminisms. Master's thesis, University of Lethbridge. University of Lethbridge Research Repository. https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/ALU/TC-ALU-3120.pdf.
Pihama, Leonie. 2001. Tihei Mauri Ora: Honouring Our Voices. Auckland: University of Auckland.
Pihama, Leonie. 2010. "Kaupapa Māori Theory: Transforming Theory in Aotearoa." He Pukenga Kōrero: A Journal of Māori Studies 9 (2): 9.
Pihama, Leonie. 2018. "Moko Kauae: A Māori Women's Right." Kaupapa Māori as Transformative Indigenous Analysis, May 23. https://kaupapamaori.com/2018/05/23/moko-kauae-a-maori-womens-right/.
Simmonds, Naomi. 2009. Mana Wahine Geographies: Spiritual, Spatial and Embodied Understandings of Papatūānuku. Doctoral thesis, University of Waikato. https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2798.
Simmonds, Naomi. 2011. "Mana Wahine: Decolonising Politics." Women's Studies Journal 25 (2): 11-25. https://www.wsanz.org.nz/journal/docs/WSJNZ252Simmonds11-25.pdf.
Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. 2017. As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom through Radical Resistance. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
https://doi.org/10.5749/j.ctt1pwt77c
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 1999. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed Books.
Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia. 2003. "Ta Moko: Culture, Body Modification and the Psychology of Identity." In Proceedings of the National Māori Graduates of Psychology Symposium 2002: Making a Difference, 123-127. Hamilton: Māori and Psychology Research Unit, University of Waikato. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/29194921.pdf.
Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia. 2012. "Moko Māori: An Understanding of Pain." In Anthropologists, Indigenous Scholars and the Research Endeavour: Seeking Bridges towards Mutual Respect, edited by Jennifer Hendry and Laura Fitznor, 208-226. London: Routledge.
Wana, Shonelle. 2021. Kia Whakawahine Au i Ahau. Doctoral thesis, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Wana, Shonelle. 2022. "Moko Wahine: A Framework for Guiding and Nurturing Māori Women Leaders." MAI Journal: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship 11 (1): 70-77. https://doi.org/10.20507/maijournal.2022.11.1.6.
https://doi.org/10.20507/MAIJournal.2022.11.1.6
Waters, Anne. 2000. "Indigenist Feminism." In Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories, edited by Lorraine Code, 258-259. London: Routledge.
Winitana, Clinton, director. 2011. Waka Huia: Moko Whakarua. TVNZ series. July 24. Waka Huia. https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/TZP405126/
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
