Te Awa Atua
Menstruation in the Pre-colonial Māori World
Te awa atua is a ceremony of purification and renewal that regenerates life. The blood that flows from the inner temple of the cosmos - the womb - is a living prayer of continuation. When we recover the ceremony of te awa atua we ritualise the womb as an altar of communion with the Atua Wāhine.
Te Awa Atua has been described as groundbreaking, timeless and incendiary scholarship. It recovers traditional Tangata Whenua menstruation ceremonies, stories and attitudes that have been largely censored from the historic record. The author examines karakia, pūrākau, mōteatea, navigational and tribal histories and interviews with elders to unearth sacred ritual teachings that demonstrate the mana of the blood, and the mana of wahine in customary society.
Responses from readers of Te Awa Atua
‘Te Awa Atua fits within the exciting work being done by indigenous writers around the world to reclaim truths of indigenous value and history that have for too long been misinterpreted and redefined by the colonisers. In particular it is an important addition to Māori scholarship and a proud and necessary restatement of mana wahine’.
– Moana Jackson, Ngāti Kahungunu
‘Te Awa Atua has ignited a renewed consciousness … This book MUST be read. Transformative, truly transformative.’ Dr Natalie Robertson
- Ngāti Porou
‘Te awa atua is one of the most life transforming books I’ve ever read. It has allowed me to engage in a deeply spiritual and powerful relationship with my tupuna and with myself.’ Precious Clark
- Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Hē
Dr Ngahuia Murphy
Ngahuia is from Te Urewera in Aotearoa. Through her father she descends from Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, Ngāi Tuhoe, and Ngāti Kahungunu. Through her mother she connects with the ritual feminine traditions of Ireland.
Te Whare Werewere
Learn ancient names for the sacred blood of the womb, simple ceremonies and karakia, and make your own cloth pads. Te Whare Werewere is a working site that houses strands of knowledge from Ngahuia’s research.