Nohona i Waena i nā Mo’olelo/living between the stories: Contextualizing drama therapy within an indigenous Hawaiian epistemology

Abstract

Abstract This article explores indigenous Hawaiian epistemology in relation to perspectives in drama therapy in order to discover intersections between these two bodies of knowledge. The author presents a review of literature pertaining to the history and impact of colonialism in Hawaii, and indigenous ways of knowing. Three major themes: place, embodiment and relationship, are discussed in relation to various concepts and approaches in drama therapy. This creates space for this narrative in our body of knowledge and contextualizes drama therapy within an indigenous and postcolonial understanding of well-being.