In 1999, I was invited to speak in Wellington, New Zealand. … The invitation came from the Women’s Leaders Network, a group that brought together women from around the world ….
A fascinating thing happened the day before I spoke. During a Q&A session…, a woman stood up and began to tell a story about her life. When she was finished, several other women stood up and sang a short song in unison.
I asked a woman from New Zealand what the singing meant.
In the tradition of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, a song is called a waiata and to stand in support of another by singing for them is to tautoko. The women’s song was a show of support for the woman who told her story.
How perfect! Engrained in the Maori culture is the honoring of other stories.
Witnessing this custom made me realize that we all need to honor the stories of other women, but more importantly, we need to honor ourselves and our own stories. Our experiences shape our wisdom, and we pass that wisdom down through storytelling.
Source: Hold This Thought | Aliza Sherman (original source: PowerTools for Women in Business: 10 Ways to Succeed in Life and Work)
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