By Te Karere Reporters
6:00am

When fifteen-year-old Janie Taiiringa-Roimata Bennett was diagnosed with a malignant bone cancer, her whanau turned to tikanga Maori to help guide their journey through the trauma of treatment, surgery and recovery, and the grief
of losing a limb.


Janie was first diagnosed a year ago with osteosarcoma, a cancer that affects the arms, legs and pelvis, and for her it meant the amputation of her right
arm up to her shoulder. The surgery and subsequent treatment took place last year and she has since gone into remission.


A year on, the whanau visited the hospital to take possession of the remains
of Janie's limb in an emotional ceremony.


Mum Heeni Te Mate Koiwi, whose name was changed from Brown to reflect her daughter's experience, said it's been a long road to get to this point.


"He mate pukupuku kei taku tamahine, he momo mauiui kei taku tamahine, ana ko te aronga i te nuinga o te wa ko te ora, ko te aro ki tona ora. He ao hou
tenei te haere ki te tiki i nga ringaringa, te tiki i te ringaringa o taku tamahine."


("My daughter has cancer - a rare condition - and our focus has primarily
been on her survival, focusing on her life. This is a new experience, retrieving my daughter's arm.")


Their whanau response to Janie's diagnosis has been to delve into their whakapapa, history and traditions to formulate a way to process their grief
and guide their daughter's healing.


They did research into personal whanau records, iwi traditions, indigenous practices and scientific methods, said Heeni.


"He nui tonu nga korero mo te koiwi, na reira i te wa mohio nei matou he
mauiui koiwi i taku tamahine, i te mohio matou me tuwhera te ngakau, me whai wahi atu ki etahi huarahi kahore ano pea kia tino rangona."


("There's a vast body of knowledge about bones. So, when we learned my
daughter had a bone disease, we knew we had to open our hearts and explore paths not often spoken about.")


They found comfort and relief in karakia, creating their own and collating
them into a book.


Heeni and her longtime partner Phil Te Riu Koiwi (formerly Phil Bennett) wed and took new names to pay tribute to their daughter's experience - an age-old Maori custom.

Picking up the remains of Janie's limb is another milestone in their journey forward.


Heeni, Janie and three other whanau members were welcomed by hospital staff with a private whakatau, and karakia and waiata took place around the box containing the remains of Janie's limb. During the final karakia, Heeni and
one of Janie's younger sisters draped the box with a kahu huruhuru in preparation for transferring into their vehicle.


"Ko te mahi inaianei ko te hoki ki te kainga, he mahi i nga mahi e tika ana
kia poua ko nga arainga ki tenei taonga."


("The next step is to return home and carry out the proper rituals and protective processes for this taonga.")


She said they will eventually bury the bones but only after they hold discussions with Janie.


"No taku tamahine ke enei. Ko te ata whawhewhawhe, ko te ata korerorero, ko
te ata wananga me ia, he aha pea te huarahi e tau ai whatumanawa o taku tamahine ki tenei wahanga ona."


("[These bones] belong to my daughter, [and] it's about gently holding,
gently talking, gently discussing with her to find a way she can be at peace with this part of herself.")


Heeni is a former journalist and is documenting their whanau journey as they navigate their way through the process of healing. She will be sharing more
of their story via Te Karere over the coming weeks in a six-part series
called Te Kawa Ora.


Glossary
tikanga Maori - Maori customs and protocols


whakapapa - genealogy


whakatau - a welcoming ceremony, less formal than a powhiri


kahu huruhuru - ceremonial cloak made of feathers

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