Caring for community to beat coronavirus echoes Indigenous ideas of a good life
- Written by Krushil Watene, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Massey University
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us our own well-being is intimately connected to other people and our natural environment.
For many people, living in a small lockdown bubble for weeks has put a heavy strain on their mental health and relationships. For others, it’s been a chance to strengthen multi-generational ties.
Māori and Indigenous peoples elsewhere have long called for social and political transformation, including a broader approach to health that values social and cultural well-being of communities, rather than only the physical well-being of an individual.
When our COVID-19 lockdowns end, we can’t afford to stop caring about collective well-being. New Zealand is well positioned to show the world how this could be done, including through the New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework – but only if we listen more to Māori and other diverse voices.
Relationships are at the heart of living well
For many Indigenous peoples, good relationships are fundamental to a well-functioning society. In New Zealand, these connections are captured in Māori narratives charting our relationships with people and other parts of the natural world. The relationships are woven in a complex genealogical network.
Indigenous well-being begins where our relationships with each other and with the natural environment meet. These intersections generate responsibilities for remembering what has come before us, realising well-being today, and creating sustainable conditions for future generations.
Practices that enhance the importance of these relationships are central to Māori notions of “manaakitanga” (caring and supporting others) and “kaitiakitanga” (caretaking of the environment and people). We find these commitments and practices in communities and tribal groups across New Zealand.
Read more: Community wellbeing best measured from the ground up: a Yawuru example
Similarly, the Yawuru people of Broome in north-western Australia contend that good connections with other people and the natural environment play a central role in “mabu liyan”, living a good life.
John Puertollano, used with permission, Author provided Author providedIn North America, relationships as well as the need for cooperation and justice between all beings ground the Anishinaabe good-living concept of “minobimaatisiiwin”.
In South America, reciprocity in human interactions with nature is fundamental to the Quechua people’s good living notion of “allin kawsay”.
For Indigenous peoples everywhere, navigating our complex responsibilities for people and other living things in ways that enrich our existence is fundamental.
Mariaelena Huambachano, Author providedLiving standards and well-being
The New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework, launched in late 2018, recognises that living well consists of many dimensions, including health, housing and social connections. It is based on 12 well-being indicators.
Authors: Krushil Watene, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Massey University