Wairua in memories and responses to Anzac Day

Abstract

Although research acknowledges wairua (spirituality) as a key component of Māori understandings, experience and practice, few studies include wairua as an explicit analytical theme or domain. Utilising the A Wairua Approach to research, we explore the experiences of two participants on Anzac Day. Through A Wairua Approach analysis of video recordings, we explored the meanings and connections related to whakapapa (genealogy) and the mana (prestige, status) of the 28th (Māori) Battalion. We also explored the promises made and broken and what participants saw as tikanga (method, formality) in their responses to Anzac Day and the meanings it held for them. Through expression of emotions, the participants recalled past events and actively engaged in making connections between present and past grief and injustices. Although national days may unite people, they are not necessarily felt in the same ways in different contexts. For these participants, being Māori shaped their experiences and the forms that connection took.