It's that time of year again .... Matariki / Puanga. It's in with the new and out with the old .... a special time of celebration and for the reconnection with whanau as we celebrate the Maori New Year. I am not Maori but I do know enough about this special and unique event to understand its beauty.
As I understand it, Matariki / Puanga has been a long celebrated event in the Maori calender beginning long before European occupation of our land. It makes complete sense that indigenous peoples of the world looked to the stars to determine the key times of the year and events such as harvesting, fishing, storing food in preparation for the upcoming winter months, and remembering those who have passed during the previous year.
The star cluster The Pleiades (Matariki) is the best know but there are many tribes who can't view Matariki given it's low position on the early morning horizon. Many tribes therefore refer to Puanga (Rigel) for their indicator. For many tribes, the first new moon from this initial sighting signals the start of the maramataka or lunar calender.
It is also a time to set intentions for the year ahead. In our current culture this is often linked to actions such as quitting smoking, eating healthy, etc. Celebrations are held around the motu in the form of feasts, art exhibitions, film festivals, public talks, etc, etc. Here at Carter Observatory we offer a month long celebration of Matariki / Puanga that speaks of the science behind the stars and holds whanau based activities and interesting public talks.
Matariki / Puanga occurs in the middle of winter, a time of year that has massive opportunities to grow visitors to Aotearoa in the off season and a neat way to warm those cooler days as we reconnect with eachother.
Many Kiwis think it should be a public holiday, I tend to agree. It's messages are positive and uplifting, very whanau focused and very unique to our country.
I don't know how much you know of Matariki / Puanga but keen to hear what do you think?
Here are some links so you can learn more about this special time of year.
Carter
Observatory Resources - http://www.carterobservatory.org/resources-for-teachers
Maori
Language Commission - http://www.korero.maori.nz/news/matariki
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matariki
Te Ara Encyclopedia - http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year
New Zealand.com - http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/maori-culture/maori-cult...
Te Papa - http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Education/OnlineResources/Matariki/Pages/Matar...
