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The effect of a “Clearing of the Way” ceremony on students' attitudes to dissection
Author(s) -
Nicholson Helen D,
Barrett Tony,
Martyn Helen
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.497.5
Subject(s) - ceremony , clearing , indigenous , dissection (medical) , sociology , medical education , psychology , art , history , visual arts , medicine , archaeology , biology , surgery , business , ecology , finance
The Whakawatea or “Clearing of the Way” ceremony is a Maori ceremony that occurs at the beginning of each academic year prior to the start of teaching. It is provided for Maori (indigenous) students to allow them to work safely with dead bodies which are culturally considered Tapu (sacred). This voluntary ceremony is attended by most students regardless of their ethnicity or beliefs. This study examined how the Whakawatea affects students' attitudes to dissection and anatomy teaching. A semi‐structured interview of 8 students was followed by a qualitative case study approach to inform the development of a questionnaire delivered to all medical students. Generally, students found the ceremony to be a positive experience. There were a variety of responses including that it gave them an opportunity to pay respects to the donors, to help them deal with a dead body and provided a chance for them to come to terms with the dissection room and the smell without the added pressure of dissecting or learning. For some students the ceremony also gave them permission to carry out the dissections and assurance that being there was allowed. While the reason behind the ceremony is to allow Maori students to have spiritual safety when entering the dissection room, it has many other benefits for both Maori and non‐Maori students.