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What is Matariki? Ko Matariki kei runga, ko te tohu tēnā o te tau!
Matariki signals the Māori New Year. It is a time of renewal and celebration in New Zealand that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster.
Caption
The Matariki star cluster. The two meanings of Matariki both refer to stars: mata ariki (eyes of god) and mata riki (little eyes).
When is Matariki?
Matariki is a star cluster which appears in the night sky during mid-winter. According to the Maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of Matariki brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year. Hence, Matariki is associated with the Māori New Year.
Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui.
Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e!
Matariki reappears, Vega starts its flight.
The new year begins!
Traditionally, festivities were conducted to celebrate Matariki. They followed the harvesting of crops when the pātakapātaka food storehouses were full, freeing up time for family and leisure. These festivities included the lighting of ritual fires, the making of offerings, and celebrations of various kinds to farewell the dead, to honour ancestors, and to celebrate life.
Ngā kai a Matariki, nāna i ao ake ki runga.
The foods of Matariki, gathered up by her.
TohungaTohunga spiritual expert looked to the Matariki star cluster to find out how abundant the upcoming year’s harvest would be. Bright, clear stars promised a warm and successful season. Hazy stars, however, warned of cold weather and poor crops.
Caption
Girls from a kapa haka (music and dance) group. From the series 'Ratana Pa', 1976. Photograph by John Miller. Studio La Gonda. Te Papa (O.027023)
How is Matariki celebrated?
The twinkling of the Matariki stars in the pre-dawn sky heralds a special celebration for young and old. Across New Zealand, people come together to remember their ancestors, share food, sing, tell stories, and play music.
Matariki festivities highlight the tangata whenuatangata whenua indigenous view of the world. They remind us of the cycle of life and natural ways of marking the passing of time.
Fun and learning
Families gather together during the long, cold nights of Matariki for learning and entertainment. Whare tapereWhare tapere entertainment, which included tākaro (games) and haka (dance), is an important part of Matariki celebrations.
Remembrance
Matariki, as a marker of transition, was a natural time for families to mourn and honour those who had passed away in the previous year. These loved ones were believed to have transformed into stars – te hunga kua whetūrangitia – shining down from the heavens.
Close English text
Caption
Te kāhui whetū o Matariki.
He tau hou
Ka hau ake a Matariki, a Puanga ka hui te whānau, ka tere atu ngā mahara ki te tau kua hipa, ka whiua he hākari, ā, ka titiro whakamua ki te tau e tū mai nei.
He iwi mātai whetū ngā tūpuna. I ngā pō o Haratua, ka ngaro a Matariki i te tirohanga kanohi. Tāria te wā, ka mahuta ake te kāhui whetū o Matariki i te atapō.
E ai ki te maramataka, ko te aranga mai o Matariki te tohu o te tau hou. Ki ētehi iwi o Te Tai Hau-ā-uru, o Te Waipounamu ko Puanga kē te whetū tohu i te tau hou.
Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui.
Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e!
Tērā ētehi whakamārama e rua mō Matariki: ko ngā mata ariki ko ngā mata riki rānei.
Ehara i te mea he rite tonu te wā e ara ake ai te kāhui o Matariki i te tau. Ki tā ētehi iwi, ka kitea tuatahitia tōna mahutatanga ake i te atapō, koia te tau hou Māori. Ki tā ētehi atu iwi, kia kōwhiti, kia hua rānei te marama i muri mai i te aranga o te kāhui whetū koia kē te tīmatanga o te tau hou.
Caption
Ngā taitamāhine o tētehi kapa haka. Mai i te rārangi whakaahua o ‘Rātana Pā’, 1976. Nā John Miller te whakaahua. Studio La Gonda. Te Papa (O.027023)
Te Whakanui i a Matariki
Ka kapokapo mai te kāhui whetū o Matariki i te atatū, he tohu whakatairanga mā te tangata, kauheke mai, tamariki mai. Puta noa i Aotearoa, ka whakamine mai te tangata ka hoki mahara atu ki te iwi nui kei te pō, ka kai tahi, ka waiata, ka kōrero tahi anō hoki.
Caption
He pātaka, he whata kai. Mai i te pukapuka The New Zealanders, 1847, nā George French Angas. Te Papa (RB001054/071a)
I ahatia ngā tūpuna i te wā o Matariki?
Ka ara ake te kāhui whetū o Matariki i te wā o te makariri, i te takiwā o te takanga o te rā (te rā poto rawa o te tau). Ā, ka roa ngā rā, ka toro atu ki te wā o te Kōanga, ki te Raumati rā anō. I te wā i a rātou mā, pēnei i ēnei rā, he kaupapa a Matariki hei kawe i ngā tūmanako o te whānau – he tohu nō te whakarauora, nō te whakaohooho, nō te tau hou e tū mai nei.
Māoka ko te hunu
Ka kitea a Matariki, kua mutu noa te hauhake māra, te kōtutu manu, te pāwhara ika me ērā mahi kai a te iwi. Kua kī ngā pātaka i te kai, kua mutu ngā mahi i te māra, ā, kua wātea te whānau ki te noho ngātahi, ki ngā mahi a te whare wānanga, a te whare tapere hoki.
Ngā kai a Matariki, nāna i ao ake ki runga
Ka mātaihia te kāhui whetū o Matariki ki te kimi i ōna tohu. Mehemea he mārama te kite i ngā whetū e pīrakorako mai ana, he mahana te tau e tū mai nei, he nui ngā hua ka puta i ngā māra kai. Mehemea e rehurehu ana te āhua o ngā whetū, he makariri te tau, he iti te kai.
Te kāinga
Ka piri te whānau ki te takuahi i ngā pō roa o te Hōtoke, ka kōrero mō te tau kua hipa, ka titiro whakamua ki te tau e tū mai nei. He wānanga, he kōrero tuku iho, he kōrero pūrākau te mahi.
Te whare tapere
Koia te whare whakangahau o te iwi. Ōna taonga ko te kōrero, ko te haka, ko te waiata, ko te taonga puoro, ko te karetao, ko ngā taonga a Wharawhara, ā, ko ngā tākaro anō hoki. E pēnei ana te kaupapa nui o te whare tapere:
Kia kawea tātou e te rēhia
Nā, ko te whare tapere tētahi o ngā whakahaere nui a te iwi i muri mai i te hautanga a Matariki.
Kua takitahi ngā whetū o Matariki
Ko Matariki te wā e mahara atu ai te whānau ki te hunga kua whetūrangitia i te tau kua hipa. Mō te roanga atu o te tau, e ihu oneone ana te whānau katoa, engari anō a Matariki, he wā whakatā.
Close te reo Māori text
