Ma te wheturangi o Matariki, e tiaki mai, e manaaki mai i a koe, i a koutou ranei, mo te tau e taka mai ana
May the gentle light of Matariki guide and inspire you all this year
Weaving is a living art form passed down from the ancestors and a strong symbol of the survival of Māori culture. The students in Room 8 wove harakeke (flax) into whetū (stars). After learning about the seven stars of Matariki, Harrison, Karma, Jack, Ava, Finn, Emily, Malia decided to have a go at weaving them. It took practise to get them right and after a few tries, the students started to master this unique skill and get faster. The students wove seven stars each. After weaving the seven stars of Matariki, the students created a mobile to display the weaved stars using bamboo sticks and nylon fishing line.
Our enthusiastic group of learners were excited to share their new craft with others. It was great to see the finished product. It looked amazing.
Matariki-weaving- Malia-Jack-Finn-Karma-Harrison- Room 8 2020
Matariki-weaving- Karma-Jack-Ava Room 8 2020
Karma I learnt how to weave harakeke whetū and now know the more we practise the easier it gets
Malia I learnt how to weave stars and did a workshop to help others. Next time, we will learn how to weave a Putiputi.
Mikayla read the story 'The 7 kites of Matariki' to the class. This inspired some students to create Matariki kites with their own design. The students had to design Kowhaiwhai patterns which they learned about in the Matariki story.
Matariki-kites-Room 8 2020
Lenox K I drew a Koru on my kite and I can’t wait for a windy day to try it
Marshall I learnt that Māori kites are called manu tukutuku. I enjoyed designing my kite because I used different colours and traditional shapes
Matariki marks the beginning of the Māori New Year and is a good time for feasting.
The students in Room 8 baked Takakau (Māori bread). Takakau is bread that has no yeast in it. In groups,the students had to follow the recipe and cook their bread. They cooked the bread perfectly. During the process, the students learned the skill of kneading. The whole class ate the Takakau with butter and jam or golden syrup as part of our celebrations. The students were very proud of themselves and went around the school to share the Takakau with the staff.
Matariki-takakau- Ava-Brooke-Mikayla-Jaxon-Isabella-Izak -Room 8 2020
Matariki-takakau kneading- Jaxon-Room 8 20205
Matariki-takakau baking - Room 8 2020
Matariki-takakau-celebrations-Room 8 2020
Jaxon I knew how to knead bread because I bake a lot at home. I was proud eating the bread that I made.
Isabella I had never cooked Takakau before and I learned how to knead. The bread was delicious because it was cooked perfectly - I was proud of my work
Whakapapa is similar to a family tree. As part of our celebrations, Room 8 started to draw up their whakapapa. The students will practise and learn how to recite their whakapapa by heart.
We listened to the story of Matariki and some songs including “E Mata E”, “Tirama” and “E Ara Matariki”.
Room 8 had a great time celebrating Matariki and learning about New Year celebrations within the Māori culture. We learned that when the seven star cluster of Matariki rises in the dawn winter sky, it is time to celebrate a New Year, the natural world, the togetherness of whānau and new beginnings. Our next steps will include more Māori art work and knowing our Whakapapa.
Keywords: Matariki, Māori New Year, weaving, kites, Takakau, Feast, celebrations
Curriculum links : Learning languages (Te Reo Māori), English (reading and writing), Arts, Technology, Social Sciences
