Drawing on the collective symbols of Māori culture as literary devices for constructing narratives in biographical research

Abstract

This paper discusses several collective symbols of Māori culture which I have drawn on when constructing life narratives for biographical research projects with Māori participants.

Symbols as a literary device • Enable the telling of stories in ways which both connect and empower the narrator. • Symbols can help subjects of biography talk about aspects of their lives in insightful and creative ways • Symbols can also address collective cultural identity where there are shared meanings of symbols as well as individual meanings