Waiwhero
A Celebration of Womanhood
Waiwhero is written for whānau who wish to recover tikanga to celebrate the arrival of menstruation as an ancient medium of whakapapa. It provides examples of traditional ceremonies and also encourages the creation of new ritual practices that heal and empower future generations.
Responses from readers of Waiwhero
‘Life changing, so empowering and inspiring to reclaim our ikura as powerful and sacred!’
‘Deep, powerful, revolutionary’.
‘Best book purchases I ever made. I read Waiwhero with my children and we all loved it. I wanted my daughters and sons to know the depth of a woman's time and how to care and honour one another during sacred moments. I searched for a long time to find books on a women’s bleed with a wahine Māori perspective and these two were it for us.’
– Tangiwai Wetere Hepi.
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.