What is The Matariki
Matariki is a Maori word that can be translated as tiny eyes or eyes of God. It is also the name for the Maori New Year celebration and the Maori name for a small group of stars (Pleiades) that drop below the horizon in April and reappear in June. When this happens, it is the signal for the Maori New Year to start. Early Maori sailors used these starts to help them find their way. What happens at Matariki? Different tribes celebrate Matariki in different ways. In the past, it was a time to:
Matariki is a Maori word that can be translated as tiny eyes or eyes of God. It is also the name for the Maori New Year celebration and the Maori name for a small group of stars (Pleiades) that drop below the horizon in April and reappear in June. When this happens, it is the signal for the Maori New Year to start. Early Maori sailors used these starts to help them find their way. What happens at Matariki? Different tribes celebrate Matariki in different ways. In the past, it was a time to:
- Finish storing up food for the winter.
- Create new woven clothes and baskets.
- Remember our ancestors and listen to old tribal stories.
- Learn about the natural world.
- Learn to play string games.
- Celebrate the coming year.
- Make, decorate and fly kites.
Some things we might do now at Matariki include:
- Have a celebration with friends and whānau.
- Learn or do some weaving.
- Learn about stars and see Matariki through a telescope.
- Talk to people in our family about our family history and stories.
- Fly kites.
- Watch kapa haka performances.
- Learn about Māori myths and culture.
- Give respect to the whenua (land) on which we live.
- Learn more about how we can care for our Mother Earth Papatūānuku
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