Traditional medicines in the Pacific | 285Present day
Samoa is a very conservative country, one that places great importance on
family and other traditional values. Samoan medicine, including herbal medi-
cines, still has an important place in Samoan society, coexisting harmoniously
alongside western medicine even though some of the treatments used appear
to owe as much to the placebo effect of the healer as to the medicines them-
selves. The value to the community of these medicines has been recognised by
government and other agencies because they work to slow down the loss of
native forests and thus the plants of medicinal as well as other economic
importance. Indeed, should mamalabe shown to have anti-HIV activity that
can be commercially exploited, then it and possibly other plants will be valued
even more for their medicinal and economic importance.
New Zealand
As was the case in the other countries described in this chapter, the health of
the Maoris of New Zealand was not improved by the arrival of the British
settlers. Indeed, there were fears in the late nineteenth century that the Maori
population might disappear altogether, so severely had they suffered from the
many epidemics produced by strains of unfamiliar microorganisms. Fortu-
nately this did not eventuate and New Zealand’s Maori numbers continue to
increase each year. However, the health of Maoris is not as good as that of
those of European descent. The reasons for this disparity in health status are
hotly debated but do appear to be the result of a combination of socio-
economic and cultural factors. From the arrival of the settlers in the mid-
nineteenth century until about the middle of the twentieth century, most
Maoris lived on the ancestral lands, close to families. Maori urbanisation
occurred rapidly after this, however, and with it the gradual loss of commu-
nity support, which is held to be at least partially responsible for some of the
current situation. More recently, Maoris in these urban areas have been re-
evaluating their past and reinstituting traditional customs and practices,
including those of Maori health (Hauora Maori).
Traditional remedies
Maoris, similar to Samoan people, also believe that good health results
when there is a balance between the various worlds that they inhabit.
Maoris, however, recognise four factors – spiritual, physical, emotional and
psychological – as being crucial for good health. Hauora Maoriencom-
passes all of these and Maori medical practice includes a combination of
treatments such as massage, counselling and medicines, many of which are
derived from native plants. The use of plants for healing is known as
Rongoa Maori.