Vä-centred social work: Possibilities for a Pacific approach to social work practice

Transcription

1 Vä-centred social work: Possibilities for a Pacific approach to social work practice Karlo Mila-Schaaf Karlo Mila-Schaaf has an applied Masters in Social Work. Karlo worked as the Manager for Pacific Health Research at the Health Research Council of New Zealand for three years before embarking on her PhD study: Health priorities, policy and planning for the New Zealand-born Pacific population. Karlo is of Tongan and Pakeha ethnicity. She is also a poet and has a collection of poetry titled, Dream Fish Floating. Important to the Samoan view of reality is the concept of the vä or the wa in Maori and Japanese (ma). Vä is the space between, the between-ness, not empty space, not space that separates but space that relates, that holds separate entities and things together in the unity-in-all, the space that is context, giving meaning to things. A well known Samoan expression is la teu le vä, cherish/nurse/care for the vä, the relationships. This is crucial in communal cultures that value group, unity, more than the individual person / creature / thing in terms of group, in terms of vä, relationships (Wendt, cited Refiti, 2002: 209). Introduction As Wendt alludes to in the quote above, vä is a concept that traverses many Pacific languages and indeed travels beyond Pacific nations to Pacific rim countries. Ever since I first learned about vä, as a young Tongan-Palangi woman born in New Zealand who is an English-only speaker, the concept of vä has intrigued and interested me. Over the last few years I have listened carefully to people talk about vä and meditated on the rich offering this concept has, especially to those of us not fluent in Pacific languages. As Tongan scholar Ka ili (2005) writes, in his comprehensive article about vä, almost no academic attention has been given to this concept. It has not been studied or analysed by anthropologists, linguists or historians despite being considered a fundamental cultural value of Tongan society by Tongan elders (Ka ili, 2005). Ka ili refers to Okusi Mahina as one of the few academics focusing on vä, who has categorised four main dimensions of vä: physical, social, intellectual and symbolic. This article focuses on the social dimension of vä. It is important to state that I am very much a student or learner of Pacific cultural concepts as opposed to an expert. However, this is an opportunity to share some understandings of vä and reflect on what it may have to offer social work practice. Seeking Pacific cultural approaches to wellbeing Recently in the Pacific public sector, there has been a strong drive to articulate Pacific cultural competencies. This has been related to a need to define and express what we mean by the term Pacific and to some extent identify what it is that makes us different from PAGE 8 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW AUTUMN 2006

2 the mainstream. This can be challenging as the term Pacific has been constructed in New Zealand to culturally amalgamate many ethnically diverse, linguistically distinctive and geographically separated people. Commonalities among Pacific peoples, such as the shared understandings of vä, have been sought to make such work more meaningful and relevant. Pacific cultural competency and cultural safety texts have been developed to guide social and health services and practitioners and assist them to be more effective as they interact with Pacific people and clients. Recently there have been numerous Pacific guidelines and frameworks produced. This has provided opportunities for our academics, cultural experts, professionals and leaders to come together to think and theorise. They have had a chance to sit, debate, consult, create and write about who we are. Many of the producers of such documents recognise that their writings are not the definitive answer, but that instead it is the beginning of a dialogue for Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand, about what makes us who we are. Taufe ulungaki (2004) refers to this practice as: A reaffirmation of the fact that groups who are strongly rooted in their own cultures, values and belief systems, who enjoy reciprocal relationships and the mutual support of families and social institutions such as churches, tend to develop and achieve well-being and health (Taufe ulungaki, 2004: 9). For some of us Pacific young people growing up in New Zealand, a sense of this wellbeing and health has not come about easily. Our experiences have not been defined by being strongly rooted in Pacific cultures or institutions. Seeking, learning, reclaiming and to an extent re-imagining Pacific cultural approaches to wellbeing can be powerful and transformative work. I was privileged to be involved with the formation of a document similar to those mentioned above. Although it may seem far from the social work arena, the focus was on ethical guidelines for Pacific health research. The Pacific Expert Panel that met to discuss and debate the issues decided after much dialogue (or pö talanoa) that their aim was actually to define the nature of an ethical relationship. I slowly began to understand after much listening, thinking and learning that this preoccupation with, and giving priority to, relationships, was the key to understanding a collective (as opposed to an individualistic) approach to life. Relationships provide the operational mechanics of a collective. To incorporate Pacific world views and perspectives into a research ethics document which is traditionally individual rights based and focused a mind-shift was required. The shift was away from the individual, and the individual s rights and expectations, towards a focus on what constitutes the nature of an ethical relationship between people. In the final version of the guidelines, the overarching principle was relationships, with the definitive statement: To develop, cultivate and maintain principled relationships is integral to all ethical practice (HRC, 2004: 13). Centrality of relationships The concept of vä makes sense within a view of society that emphasises relationships. To understand the importance of vä, one must view relationships as the most influential dy- AUTUMN 2006 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW PAGE 9

3 namic in shaping both individual identity and the nature of the social world. Therefore, it is within the context of relationship that self identity is formed and is continually affected. In addition, it is the nature of all of our interactions with others (on a much larger scale, the culmination of all relationships) that shapes the very nature of our society, either harmonious, indifferent or in conflict. From a Samoan perspective, Mary Autagavaia writes, It is in relation to others that the integrity of the self is shaped and realised; the self does not exist alone, and the Samoan individual does not survive in isolation (Autagavaia, 2001: 59). Reverend Nokise echoes this sentiment, writing: To be human is to be in relation, to be involved in a web of connections with others in the family, at work, in the church, at leisure (Nokise, 2004: 3). The essence of a collective approach to personal identity and society is articulated further by Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi: Through you, my being is contextually meaningful and whole. Through myself, you are given primacy in light of our collective identity and places of belonging (fa asinomaga), our genealogical lineage (tupuaga), and our roles, responsibilities and heritage (tofiga) (Tamasese et al, 1997: 13). While I have referred here to three Samoan academics and thinkers, these views are shared by theorists and leaders of other Pacific origins. Taufe ulungaki, a Tongan academic, writes: The core values and practices of Pacific communities were all directed at maintaining and promoting relationships. Thus, the essence of any community is the relationships of its members. It is through these relationships that members come to share experiences and memories, shared roots, shared moral concerns, and shared responsibilities and obligations (Taufe ulungaki, 2004: 10). Va as a socio-spatial concept Vä provides a way of viewing relationships between people using a socio-spatial perspective (Ka ili, 2005). If we imagine that you and I are positioned on a map, vä is used to describe the nature of the terrain that lies between us. It is the imagined space that we feel as opposed to see. Ka ili writes that: Vä emphasises space in between. This is fundamentally different from the popular western notion of space as an expanse or an open area (Ka ili, 2005: 89). As Albert Wendt writes, the vä is: Not space that separates but space that relates (Wendt, cited in Refiti, 2002: 209). One can imagine or visualise the gardens and boundaries between people. Either they are tended and fruitful, or they are barren and unsafe. The term Vä Fealoaloa i refers to the various spaces and places within which Samoan people interact in a meaningful and non-coincidental way (HRC, 2004: 14). We are responsible for the state of our boundaries with others. Lemi Ponifasio, a Samoan choreographer and dancer, describes vä as, The lived and cognisant body relationship with the world. The vä or the body s intentionality is the foundation of all expression (cited Taouma, 2002: 140). A focus on vä leads to an examination of our interaction with others; a focus on our intentions and conscious actions that influences the nature of our relationships with others. PAGE 10 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW AUTUMN 2006

4 Taufe ulungaki (2004) writes about vä from a Tongan perspective: In Tongan culture relationship is described by the concept vä. Literally it means space. But in Tongan communities, relationships or the space between any two individuals or groups, or between communities and nature are defined by the context in which the interaction occurs. Thus, when the context changes, the relationship changes also, even in the case of the same two individuals or groups and maintaining, nurturing and developing that vä, so that it remains strong and flexible, is behaving appropriately in each and every variation of the context. The well-being or health of the community is measured, therefore, by contextualised and acceptable behaviour and actions that are meaningful, worthwhile and beneficial to others (Taufe ulungaki, 2004: 10). Conceiving identity as fluid, flexible and contextually specific as well as relationally dependent is quite different from the view of the self that is prevalent in modern western society. One such view, described by a leading Western theorist, Anthony Giddens, is provided here for comparison. According to Giddens: Self-identity, then, is not a set of traits or observable characteristics. It is a person s own reflexive understanding of their biography. Self-identity has continuity that is, it cannot easily be completely changed at will but that continuity is only a product of the person s reflexive beliefs about their own biography (Giddens, 1991: 53). Tellingly, self is understood to be self-constructed and determined effectively self is in the eye of the beholder as opposed to being shaped and created via relationship, interaction, interconnection and belonging. As suggested earlier, for me this provided a key understanding of the operational difference between a collective and individualistic approach to conceiving society. Va as a code for conduct Autagavaia describes vä as, Space, and in human relationships refers to the space (social, spiritual, psychological) between individuals or groups as something sacred and not to be desecrated and imposed upon by displaying bad behaviour (Autagavaia, 2001: 77). Vä Fealoaloa i means to mutually respect and maintain the sacred space within relationships (Autagavaia, 2001: 77). Tauhi vä in Tongan, refers to the act of maintaining the vä between people. Once again one could visualise the practice of tending the gardens and boundaries between neighbours. Tauhi vä requires work, it requires effort. It means that one ensures that one s relationships with others are sound. One meets their obligations. One respects the other and ensures balanced reciprocity of giving and taking. Vä does not just exist between individuals but between families. Everyone is collectively responsible for respecting, cultivating, nurturing the vä between each other. Refiti (2002) writes that, The vä is the spatial ordering concept that exists between things. It administers a code of good (ideal) behaviour, an invisible language that enables space and things to be configured in a positive manner (Refiti, 2002: 209). It administers a code of ideal and expected behaviour between people; between brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, aunts and nieces, community to community, stranger to stranger. The vä AUTUMN 2006 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW PAGE 11

5 is the space between people, the dynamic of relationship, that is, what happens between you and me. Vä is closely associated with balance and harmony in relationships and the natural order and aesthetic of human interconnections and relationships. Vä is used interchangeably to describe aesthetic balance in art and architecture as well as aesthetic balance in relationships. Vä governed traditional aesthetic appreciation in Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Aotearoa (Refiti, 2002: 209). The concept of vä also governed relationships, kinship relationships, village networks, community alliances (Ibid). Using Okusi Mahina s words, symmetry, harmony, functionality and beauty are central to notions such as vä (O. Mahina, personal communication, 2005). Va as a pathway to healing Traditional healing has a different etiology from the Western medical model. For example, traditional approaches usually treat the underlying causes of disease, rather than the acute symptoms, and the causes of illness are believed to be religious, spiritual, social or psychological, as opposed to being derived from physiological processes (NEI, 2003: 4). With Pacific traditional healing approaches: Causation revolves around the disturbance of relationships with gods or supernatural beings, one another or society and the land. This disturbance leads to a state in which the person becomes incapable of, or less efficient at, meeting society s, or their own, expectations. (MoH, 1997: 6.) Therefore, a focus on relationships as a cause of crisis, illness, anxiety or depression in a Pacific person, is consistent with traditional Pacific healing values and etiology. By understanding vä as a system requiring harmony, balance, reciprocity and mutual respect and relationship, one may ask the person they are working with, in what ways their relationships are consistent with this ideal system. How healthy is the vä? Are relationships configured in a positive manner? A focus on vä, and understanding the nature of relationships in causing anxiety, illness, depression or crisis in a person s life is consistent with the traditional healing approach used for centuries in the Pacific. This is a valuable insight for social work practitioners. Using the concept of vä when examining the nature of relationships for Pacific peoples in crisis, may potentially be an effective tool for better understandings. For example, exploring the hurts surrounding vä that has been broken, sharing anxieties about obligations to maintain vä, or significantly, making plans and taking steps to restore or repair the vä between people, can potentially be powerful personal work. Critical to using vä as a tool for wellbeing is drawing on the notions of balance and the importance of symmetry. This requires healthy reciprocity in relationships and ensuring a dynamic that is mutually beneficial as opposed to mutually draining and exploitative. These Pacific values and ideals provide keys to wellbeing in relationships that have relevance and wisdom for contemporary settings. PAGE 12 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW AUTUMN 2006

6 Conclusion This article has discussed the social dimension of the concept of vä and has aimed to provide an introduction to the concept. In addition, it seeks ways that the idea of vä can provide insight and guidance when undertaking social work with Pacific people. Vä is a socio-spatial way of viewing relationships and fits within a world view that places collective interaction ahead of individual agency. This article on vä has not been written by a cultural expert, but rather a student or learner. There is much more to be learned and shared. To conclude with the words of Feleterika Nokise, Principal of the Pacific Theological College: We need a transformation of how we understand ourselves in relation to the existence of other people. This perception is something we Pacific people know well. But the challenge for us is to expand it to include others in our community who are not of Pacific origin. We need to display in actions and attitudes that we are not primarily individuals but parts of a communal whole. We are creatures within a context of relatedness (Nokise, 2004: 5). Acknowledgement is given to the Pacific Health Expert Panel of the HRC, chaired by Lita Foliaki, (Carmel Peteru, Moera Grace Douthett, Dr Ana Koloto, Dr Ate Moala). The discussions this group of phenomenal women had provided the inspiration for this article. References Autagavaia, M. (2001). Social work with Pacific Island communities. In M. Connolly (Ed.). New Zealand Social Work: Contexts and Practice. Oxford University Press: Auckland: Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity. Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Polity Press: Cambridge. Health Research Council. (2004). Guidelines on Pacific Health Research. Health Research Council of New Zealand: Auckland. Ka ili, T. (2005). Tauhi vä: nurturing Tongan sociospatial ties in Maui and beyond. The Contemporary Pacific 17(1): Mahina, O. (2005). Personal Communication, (subject line: Talanoa) MoH. (1997). Making a Pacific Difference: Strategic Initiatives for the Health of Pacific Peoples. Ministry of Health: Wellington. NEI. (2003). Diabetic eye disease and American Indian and Alaska native populations: Findings from focus groups and key informant interviews. National Eye Institute, USA. Nokise, F. (2004). Walk the Talk: The courage to be a healing community. In Lotu Moui: Keynote speeches. Counties Manakau District Health Board: Auckland: 1-6. Refiti, A. (2002). Making Spaces: Polynesian Architecture in Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In S. Mallon and P.F. Pereira (Eds.). Pacific Art Niu Sila: The Pacific Dimension of Contemporary New Zealand Arts. Te Papa Press: Wellington: Tamasese, K., Peteru, C. and Waldegrave C. (1997). Ole Taeoa Afua: The New Morning: A Qualitative Investigation into Samoan Perspectives on Mental Health and Culturally Appropriate Services. The Family Centre: Wellington. Taufe ulungaki, A. (2004). Fonua: Reclaiming Pacific communities in Aotearoa. In Lotu Moui: Keynote speeches. Counties Manakau District Health Board: Auckland: 1-6. Taouma, L. (2002). Getting Jiggy With It: The Evolving of Pasifika Dance in New Zealand. In S. Mallon and P.F. Pereira (Eds.) Pacific Art Niu Sila: The Pacific Dimension of Contemporary New Zealand Arts. Te Papa Press: Wellington: AUTUMN 2006 SOCIAL WORK REVIEW PAGE 13