Mānawa
maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa
maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa
maiea te mātahi
o te tau
Hail the lord of the
sky
Hail the New Year
(This section
of karakia was given by Pou Temara, 2013 for use by Dr Rangi Matamua in his
book ‘Matariki – The Star of The Year')
Matariki is a very special time in Aotearoa New Zealand as
we celebrate the Māori New Year, based on traditional beliefs and practices. "Matariki has been extensively revitalised in the past three decades and it's growth will continue as this celebration becomes repurposed and reapplied for a new generation" (Matamua, 2017).
At
Mairtown Kindergarten we have Matariki celebrations and rituals which are very
much a part of our Kindergarten culture, well-embedded and much anticipated.
This year we were able to begin our month of Matariki
celebrations by attending a bi-lingual glow in the dark puppet show
incorporating some of the traditional Māori knowledge of Matariki. This show
was produced by Little Green Man Productions and was called “Heaven and Earth”.
Of course, being at our local theatre, this meant a bus
trip! For some children this was their first experience of being on a bus. Some
children shared their knowledge and we talked about the things that we might
see on our way into town. We were able to see petrol stations, schools where
our siblings attend and sports fields where some of our children play on during the
weekends. We also sang a song “Hoea te Waka” as we made our way down to the
show.
The show itself was spectacular! With over 40 very intricate
puppets, lit by UV lighting, it was an amazing sensory experience for us all.
It told the story of seven whetū as they prepared for the upcoming
Matariki celebrations. Of course it involved many adventures along the way with
an unplanned visit to the moana, and some help from a friendly Taniwha.
Some of our children have shared their thoughts after
watching the show …
Amelia C: I like the stars being funny
Florence: I like the puppets – they were singing!
Matthew: I like the seahorse
Gus: I like driving in the bus!
Taikura: We lost the whetū in the moana eh? Then I see
the Taniwha – he was friendly
Lucian: I love a snake show
Scarlett: I love the stars. I love them going singing
Mana: I love the big star and the little stars
Grace: I did help blow the star up
Rob (Grace’s Dad): I liked the jelly-fish and the kiwi that
sounded like a cow
Max: I liked the bus ride. I sat at the back with Zair and I
could see the petrol station
Being able to experience Māori culture and language
through story-telling and drama is important to all children as our New Zealand
Early Childhood Curriculum Te Whāriki states that “learner identity is enhanced when
children’s home languages and cultures are valued in educational settings and
when kaiako are responsive to their cultural ways of knowing and being” (Ministry
of Education, 2017).
To learn more about the meaning and stories behind Matariki I would highly recommend this video put together by Spark and this presentation by Dr Rangi Matamua. Dr Matamua states that "the next stage in the evolution of Matariki must be in securing its future, nurturing its growth and maintaining its integrity" (2017).
We have now started eagerly counting down to our Harvest Day
and our Matariki Hangi, which are our other upcoming events in our Matariki
celebrations.
Ana, i te atapō
tonu ka rewa ake a Matariki ka
kitea mai, ā
koirā
te tohu o te tau hou
Therefore, in the
early morning when Matariki is seen rising,
this is the sign of
the new year
Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori!
Arohanui,
Amy
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