Introducing: Matariki — Māori New Year

Kia ora.

Matariki is a star cluster that appears in the pre-dawn sky in May or June, marking the start of a new year.

During Matariki, we celebrate our unique place in the world.

We give respect to the land on which we live and admiration to our earth mother Papatuanuku.

Throughout Matariki we learn about those who have come before us and those who have passed on.

We learn about our history, our family lines of descent, and the deeds of our ancestors

Matariki is a sign of growth. It’s a time of change.

It’s a time to prepare, it’s a time of action.

During Matariki, we acknowledge what we have and what we have to give.

Matariki celebrates the diversity of life.

It is a celebration of culture, language, spirit and people.

Matariki is our Aotearoa New Year.

Matariki is a star cluster which appears in the night-sky during mid-Winter. Matariki signals the Māori New Year. It is a time of renewal and celebration.

~ Source: Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand.

This star cluster is visible to the naked eye from most parts of our planet.

Matariki is also known as:

• the Pleiades (Greek)
• Makali’i (Hawaiian)
• Subaru (Japanese)

And a HUGE list of other names from around the world. Seriously! You could spend hours following links on the Wikipedia entry for the Pleiades in folklore and literature.

This year marks the first year Matariki is acknowledged with a public holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What better time, then, than to introduce the wider world to such a special time of year.

Are there local indigenous groups in your area you could work with, to see if they have similar traditions?

Could you advocate for celebrating them at your library?

If you know your Greek mythology, there are seven stars in the Pleiades.

If you’ve ever studied the Subaru logo, there are six stars.

And, now, I’m saying there are NINE! What’s with that?

Geography.

Stars are different, depending on where you are.

In te ao Māori, different iwi could see different aspects of the sky — hence, some had seven stars, some had nine stars, and some had Puanga — who is not part of the cluster, at all.

You can read more on the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of Aotearoa New Zealand website.

THE TREASURE written by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Bruce Potter. 

A mother tells her young son how much she loves him.

Other picture books about whānau:  

• NANNY MIHI AND THE RAINBOW written by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Tracy Duncan

Any book you love with family as the theme works! Whānau is not just your immediate / nuclear family. It is all your aunties and uncles and grandparents and cousins, and the family by choice. It is your support and caring network.

Yes, Mary Poppins. In the first book, MARY POPPINS, in the chapter ‘Christmas Shopping’ Mary, Jane, and Michael meet a child at the shops. The interaction goes for a number of pages, but, here’s a taster, after the child asks Mary Poppins if she knows her name:

“Does it — does it,” she whispered, “begin with an M?”

The child hopped on one leg delightedly.

“Of course it does — and you know it. M-A-I-A. I’m Maia.” She turned to Jane and Michael.

“Now you recognise me, don’t you? I’m the second of the Pleiades. Electra — she’s the eldest — couldn’t come because she’s minding Merope. Merope’s the baby, and the other five of us come in between — all girls. Our Mother was very disappointed at first not to have a boy, but now she doesn’t mind.”

You can read the whole chapter on this ESL site.

DANIEL’S MATARIKI FEAST written by Rebecca Beyer and Linley Wellington, illustrated by Christine Ross. 

Daniel is nervous on his first day at school but through the class activities that mark the Matariki Festival he learns that it is a time of sharing and beginning new friendships. He learns the true importance of Māori New Year.

Other picture books about growing and food:  

• PLANT A KISS written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.
• FLORA’S FLOWERS written and illustrated by Debi Gliori.
• PLANTING A RAINBOW written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert.

Any book you love with family as the theme works! Whānau is not just your immediate / nuclear family. It is all your aunties and uncles and grandparents and cousins, and the family by choice. It is your support and caring network.