I have talked before about Te Whare Tapa Whā, which is a well known Māori model of health, using the four walls of a whare (house) to describe four pillars of health. It is not the only model however, and Te Wheke, the octopus, was developed by Dr Rangimarie Rose Pere in 1997 as another model for health and education.
The head of the the octopus represents whānau, or family. The eyes represent waiora, which is total wellbeing for the individual and family. Each tentacle represents a different dimension of health that contributes to holistic wellbeing, and the suckers on each tentacle can be used to represent different parts within that dimension that contribute to the whole.
The eight tentacles are:
- wairuatanga – spirituality
- hinengaro – the mind
- taha tinana – physical wellbeing
- whanaungatanga – extended family
- mauri – life force in people and objects
- mana ake – unique identity of individuals and family
- hā a koro ma, a kui ma – breath of life from forbears
- whatumanawa – the open and healthy expression of emotion.
One thing I really appreciate about homeopathy is how its holistic view can fit with the holistic views of other models. I like to consider remedies through the eyes of Te Whare Tapa Wha, but Te Wheke also makes me consider what comes up in consultation, what questions I ask – and perhaps what else I need to consider.
Some aspects come up in consultation – always hinengaro, we talk about the mind, and whatumanawa, expressing emotions. Taha tinana the physical is also an everyday discussion – usually the reason people visit me is either a mental, emotional, or physical problem. Whanaungatanga, the way we relate to other people, including friends and family often comes up also, and in homeopathy an assessment of the vital force, or mauri, is essential for making decisions about remedies and potency. Homeopathy supports mana ake, helping to pare away the things that do not serve you, and be your true self, also helping with your belief in yourself, and connection, the wairua tentacle.
The one that really interests me here is hā a Koro ma, a kai ma – the breath of life from forbears. I always ask about family history of disease – we look for what is known in homeopathy as a miasm, the inherited tendency to disease. But while I ask about physical or mental disease, I do not ask about trauma, and I do not ask about family identity. We know now that there are epigenetic changes from ancestral trauma – studies in worms showed that these changes were passed on for 14 generations – but equally important can be those family values, which may be so deeply embedded they do not readily come to the surface in a consultation about something physical, and yet they underpin our every action and reaction. Not only do I not ask about these things, but I usually collect the data in the initial consultation, and do not follow up on it, because in the past I have seen it as background information – something to consider later if we get stuck, or if we need to treat this inherited dis-ease tendency.
In reviewing this model, I guess what has stuck for me is that I need to look deeper. Maybe not in every case, but certainly when we are only taking small steps forward. Here I need to consider tīpuna, or ancestors, and not just for their dis-ease, but also for who they were, what values they hold, and how their lives have impacted the person in front of me.
You can read more about Te Wheke on the Ministry of Health website here.
Dr Pere uses this as a self assessment tool also, you can read her personal self assessment of the tentacles of Te Wheke here.