With the exciting resurgance of Matariki being celebrated, new information is coming our way to help us better prepare and observe Te tau hou Māori-the Māori new year. One of the major new things to (re)learn has been the revelation that there are actually 9 whetū (stars)-not seven, in the constellation of Matariki.
Each of te iwa o Matariki-the stars of Matariki have a name and a special role in our world and our lives. Mai rā anō, long ago our tipuna would light a sacred fire and everyone would sit around it-they would think about the Matariki stars and how each one was different and related to them. While they thought they would make wishes and set intentions for the new year to come. The smoke of the fire would carry their aspirations up to the stars.
We decided to look more closely at the stars this year for our whānau learning. We have been crafting with the tamariki and dreaming up new ways to teach them about Matariki.