Pīwakawaka Power: Reframing ADHD Through a Māori Lens and Critical Indigenous Disability Studies

Within Western frameworks, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been pathologized as a deficit, marginalizing Indigenous perspectives that center relationality, collective well-being, and strengths-based understandings. Within te ao Māori (the Māori world), ADHD-related characteristics may be understood through the lens of whakapapa (genealogy) as expressions of inherited expressions rather than markers of impairment. Yet, for many Māori, the connection to such knowledge systems has been severely disrupted by colonial education policies aimed at dismantling Indigenous epistemologies and replacing them with deficiency-oriented ideologies. This article draws on critical Indigenous disability studies (CIDS) to critique the colonial medicalization of ADHD and the systemic marginalization of Māori people. It introduces the pīwakawaka (New Zealand fantail), as a symbol for reimagining ADHD, emphasizing agility, adaptability, and responsiveness as hallmarks of cognitive strength. Centering Indigenous knowledge systems, this work advocates for Māori-led, culturally sustaining approaches to ADHD.