Rachel Lee Soon

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 postcolo-nial understanding of well-being.

Review of: Honouring the Strength of Indian Women: Plays, Stories, Poetry, Michelle Coupal, Deanna Reder, Joanne Arnott and Emalene A. Manuel (eds), Vera Manuel Kulilu Paŧki (2019)Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 391 pp.,ISBN 978-0-88755-836-8, p/bk, USD 24.95ISBN 978-0-88755-574-9, epub, USD 25.00

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 postcolo-nial understanding of well-being.

Everyone has a history that they carry with them, whether they are consciously aware of it or not, and these historical narratives can affect the way we view and approach the world around us. Individuals with a historical narrative of colonialism often perform throughout their lives in ways that are diagnosed as pathological, and can often end up within the Western mental health system, a system that perpetuates these performances. This thesis will define the phenomenon of colonialism, identify the ways in which colonialism performs, explain why this exploration is important for drama therapists, and explore ways in which we are and can continue to examine colonialism in the therapeutic encounter. This thesis draws on auto-ethnography as a way of illuminating and exploring the writer’s own personal narrative of colonialism, explores relevant literature, and will provide ideas for how this phenomenon can be applied both to the therapeutic encounter and to the field of drama therapy.