Abstract
Oriori are primordial creation songs sung by specialists and family to the unborn baby throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Described lightly as lullabies, but more accurately as knowledge transmitters, oriori compositions navigate the child's future trajectory, reciting the child's lineage, history, and prescribed aspirations for their journey forth into life. The oriori are over 1,000 years old, yet their teachings remain pertinent and enduring. The recent rejuvenation of Ngāi Tahu customary birthing practices in Aotearoa New Zealand has been led by the Māori Midwives Collective, which is situated within the tribal boundary of Ngāi Tahu, by Māori healthcare practitioners, Māori artisans, and Ngāi Tahu families, all eager to liberate ancestral knowledge pertaining to the realm of Hine Te Iwaiwa (the Goddess of Childbirth).
Reclaiming Ngāi Tahu customary birthing resources for Māori midwives and families was a practical response to recommendations from my doctoral research titled Raro Timu Raro Take - Ngāi Tahu Birthing Traditions (Tikao 2020). This academic inquiry exposed more specific Ngāi Tahu knowledge about customary birthing practices. It also addressed the question of whether or not the rejuvenation of Ngāi Tahu tribal knowledge was possible, given the current reality of a midwifery shortage, pay inequity, and lack of Māori knowledge offered within the Southern midwifery education curricula in Aotearoa New Zealand. Yet these issues in the Māori world provide the impetus for change. Transformation in this particular realm can mean a return to cultural practices that offer linkages to genealogy and that are still relevant, available, and free.