Matariki 2008
Ka puta a Matariki, ka rere a Whānui, ko te tohu o te tau.
Matariki (Pleiades) reappears, Whānui (Vega) starts its flight, this being the sign of the time of the year.
The star cluster Matariki (the Pleiades) will first rise on 23 May. The best time to see it will be on 31 May as there will be approximately 30 minutes between Matariki rising and the Sun coming up. The Māori New Year begins with the first new moon after Matariki’s reappearance. This year, the new moon rises on 5 June so the Māori New Year starts on 6 June. Check out Te Papa's Matariki festival programme.
Matariki is a time of festivity for Māori, the tangata whenua, or first people of the land. Te Papa’s festival is for all people of Aotearoa New Zealand and includes elements from other Pacific cultures.
The appearance of Matariki in the morning sky is considered vital on its first outing. If the stars in the cluster are clear and bright, it is thought the year ahead will be warm and productive. If they appear hazy and shimmering, an unproductive year is in store.
The bright star Puanga – or Rigel – also emerges at about the same time, and for some iwi (tribal groups) it is the appearance of Puanga rather than Matariki that has significance and is celebrated. Iwi who celebrate this star are those who don't see Matariki, those who live in the west, some parts of the far north, and parts of the South Island.
Matariki indicates a change of season, in particular the start of the cold season. The pātaka (food storehouses) are full, there is no food gathering, fishing, eeling or planting as it is too cold. Matariki is the time to stay indoors and wananga (schools of learning) about geneology and other important issues to Māori.
As the winter starts to fade around August, it is time to start preparing the land for planting and the cycle of food gathering starts again.
As the natural world regenerates and another seasonal round begins, Matariki is a time to pause and reflect – on the year that was, and the year that will be.
Pre-European Māori made the tools or implements they needed for survival from the natural resources of their environment.
Find out the names and background for the months in a traditional maramataka (Māori calendar).
Learn about taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments) and their significance to Matariki.
Māori were essentially an agricultural people, with a large portion of their time and attention being given to cultivation.
Before the European settlement of Aotearoa around 1840, the taewa (or riwai) was a staple food crop of the Māori.
For many centuries, the poi has been a dynamic feature of Māori arts. As an extension of the performer, the poi conveys a myriad of poetic meanings.
Learn about the customary art of weaving, it's place in traditional Maori society, and the impact of today's society, through the making of woven items.
The art of Māori medicine was a well-developed field of learning within the whare wananga (place of learning).
Matariki provides a rich context for learning and Te Papa offers a popular Matariki education programme for schools. Here you'll find an online teacher resource which will assist classroom learning about Matariki.
Find out the Māori names for the days of the moon's cycle and the favoured times for activities such as fishing and planting.
Have a look at how other organisations around New Zealand celebrated Matariki in previous years.
Download the Matariki Waiata. Listen, learn and teach this song to your tamariki. Lyrics are provided.