Matariki Celebrations

This week we have been celebrating Matariki across the school. We began our celebrations with a hikoi up Owairaka maunga, followed by breakfast at school. 
Room 20  celebrated Matariki in several ways; we set goals for Term 2, created 'New Beginnings' artworks, and designed Matariki kites.

 Mrs Cramer came into our room to teach us about the significance of kite flying at Matariki. Here is some more information about kite flying at Matariki:

Ururangi is the star that determines the nature of the winds for the year. Māori have always maintained a keen interest in the wind. It was only by harnessing the power of the wind that Māori were able to travel to Aotearoa in the very beginning.

Kites played an important role in developing this understanding of the wind. They had many uses: for fun or fishing, for war, and occasionally as sails to drive canoes.

Throughout the Pacific kites were usually made with aute, the bark of the paper mulberry, which is also used to make tapa. In New Zealand, however, the paper mulberry doesn’t grow very well, so kites were usually made of raupō, cutty grass or flax. The frames of the kites were made from kareao, mānuka, or toetoe.

The Maori word for bird is ‘manu’ and it is in the shape of a bird that they made their kites. It was believed that birds could carry messages between humans and gods. 

Here are some pictures of our buddy class helping us to make and fly our kites.