2015 Term 2, Week 9: Matariki

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars which are also known as the Pleiades.  It rises in  late May or early June, which is mid-winter in New Zealand.  For many Māori, it  marks the start of a new year.

Matariki means the ‘eyes of god’ (mata ariki) or ‘little eyes’ (mata riki). According to myth, when Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, were separated by their children, the god of the winds, Tāwhirimātea, became so angry that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens.

Matariki was a time to remember those who had died in the last year. But it was also a happy event – crops had been harvested and seafood and birds had been collected. With plenty of food in the storehouses, Matariki was a time for singing, dancing and feasting.

You can read more about  the Pleiades and Matariki here.

Matariki, or Māori New Year celebrations were once popular, but stopped in the 1940s. In 2000, they were revived, and now,  thousands of people celebrate the ‘New Zealand Thanksgiving’. A special feature of Matariki celebrations is the flying of kites – according to ancient custom they flutter close to the stars.

A traditional Maori kite drawn in the 1800s

Here's a song about Matariki, and shows a group of people preparing a hangi for family party.

 
This is a picture book  story about Matariki. 

 Here's an interactive activity to learn more about Matariki. You might need to work on it a bit to find your way around, but you will learn some interesting facts about Matariki.

This link takes you to a group of children doing the Matariki Macarena dance.
Here's the words so you can sing along.
Waiti 
Waita 
Waipuna - a - rangi
Tupu - a - nuku
Tupu - a - rangi
Ko Uru - a - rangi te potiki
O te whanau Matariki

This is an easy song to sing - you will know the tune.  Follow the link:
Tirama, Tirama, Matariki.

Tirama, Tirama, Matariki

Me ona tamariki

Tupu-a-nuku

Tupu-a-rangi

Wai-ti

Wai-ta

Waipuna-rangi-e

Ko te potiki, ko Ururangi

Twinkle, twinkle, Matariki

And all your children:

Tupu-a-nuku

Tupu-a-rangi

Wai-ti

Wai-ta

Waipuna-rangi-e
And the youngest, Ururangi

Here's another Matariki song to sing:  

Nga Tamariki o Matariki  

Wai-ti, Wai-ta, Waipuna-rangi

Tupuanuku, Tupuarangi, Ururangi e

Koine nga tamariki o Matariki

Nga whetu e piataata i te rangi e

Nga whetu e piataata i te rangi e

Wai-ti, Wai-ta, Waipuna-rangi

Tupuanuku, Tupuarangi, Ururangi e

These are the children of Matariki

The bright stars that shine in the sky

The bright stars that shine in the sky

Click here to see Rob Thorne using taonga puoro ( traditional instruments of Maori). It's about 9 minutes long and shows you a range of traditional Maori instruments and how they are used.

Click on this link to learn more about traditional Maori instruments and to see some pictures of the ones that are in the video above.  

This link takes you to the Te Papa Museum of New Zealand's page about Maori instruments. You can click on each instrument to learn more.

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Follow this link to test your knowledge of crotchets and quavers. 
Clap the rhythm  of the notes the click on "play" to listen to a  rhythm.  If you think the sound  matches the rhythm of notes, click "yes". If you think it is different, click  "no".


Add bar lines to make 5 bars of 4/4 timing. Remember, each bar must add up to four counts.