Matariki Hunga Nui
Matariki Hunga Nui
Mānawatia a Matariki
This lesson looks at the ‘umu kohukohu whetū’ during Matariki ceremony and the ‘heri kai’ in hākari festivities during Matariki celebrations.
See the “About this resource” box below to download resources:
- Mahere-Ako-13-Matariki-Hunga-Nui-Māori.pdf
- Mahere-Ako-13-Matariki-Hunga-Nui-English.pdf
Kawenga Mahi
Introduction part 1: Umu Kohukohu Whetū
Living by the Stars with Professor Rangi Mātāmua Season 1 - Episode 15: Whāngai i te Hautapu
The ceremony of ‘whāngai i te hautapu’ is a sacred offering of food to the atua, to the stars. This sacred offering of food is cooked in the ‘umu kohukohu whetū’.
When Matariki is seen, the earth oven is uncovered releasing the steam of the foods that have been cooking. The steam that rises at the uncovering is ‘whāngai i te hautapu’ - a ritual of sacred offering to replenish our atua, to replenish our stars who have nourished us, the people, in the past year.
A food representative of each star is carefully selected and placed in the umu kohukohu whetū. There is not an exclusive list of kai that must be included in the umu kohukohu whetū. Instead, a representation of the stars. For example, a kūmara perhaps for Tupuānuku, a chicken for Tupuārangi, a fish for Waitā and an eel for Waitī.
This food is sacred and for the atua. When the incantations and formalities of the ceremony are complete, the tohunga would take a small morsel to their mouths, hei whakanoa, before burying the remaining food.
Once the formalities are complete and everyone has taken their reading of Matariki the festivities and celebration can begin!
Introduction Part 2: Heri Kai
Matariki Hunga Nui! Matariki who gathers the people.
To herald the new year and what is to come, Māori celebrate with a great feast for everyone in attendance.
We are going to look at one component of the celebrations and that is 'heri kai'.
Heri kai is a performative item when the haukāinga are bringing dishes from the kitchen to the table for the guests to enjoy. As they spread the food, they sing and dance the dishes to their placing on the table.
These songs are usually short and are riddled with innuendo bringing wit and humour to the celebrations.
Here is an example of a ‘heri kai’ from Pipi Mā: Pipi Mā Season 5 Episode 5 - Te Kūmara.
Let’s take a look at some other examples.
E! Ko te heihei!
Hei aha te heihei?
Ko te heihei!
Hei aha te heihei?
Te kaiwhakaohorere i te atapō,
Tē ngata te puku ki te awhiawhi!
A, te hiahia!
Nekenekehia! Hei!
Nekenekehia! Hei!
Tēnā, tukua ia!
Hai!
Eee! It's the rooster!
What's the rooster for?
Its the rooster!
What's the rooster for?
He wakes us just before dawn.
How the belly is satisfied when we embrace him!
Ah, we want him!
Bring him on! Hei!
Bring him on! Hei!
Now put him down!
Hai!
Ka kino te haere!
'E aha?
Ka kino te haere!
'E aha?
Ka kino te haere!
I nekenekehia! Hei!
Nekenekehia! Hei!
Tēnā, tukua iho! Hai!
It's coming fast!
What?
It's coming fast!
What?
It's coming fast!
Bring it on! Hei!
Bring it on! Hei!
Now put it down! Hai!
Task
Your task is to create a heri kai to use when you run your hautapu at school.
Make it short and to the point.
Practise it in the role play.
Mānawatia a Matariki - Kōpaki Whakaako
This Matariki unit is designed specifically for educators with little to no prior knowledge about Matariki but can also be customised to any level of knowledge of Matariki. The primary goal of this unit is to equip you with all the necessary information and content required to teach this topic succe...
1 of 16He whakaurunga ki a Matariki
This lesson is an introduction to Matariki with special focus on the whakapapa of Matariki.
2 of 16Ngā Whetū o Matariki
This lesson focuses on the individual stars in the Matariki cluster and the domains in which they represent. Students will explore the scientific, cultural, literal and metaphorical understandings for each star.
3 of 16Te Tautoru Nui o Matariki 1
This lesson focuses on students understanding the connection of the maramataka ā-whetū and Matariki.
4 of 16Te Tautoru Nui o Matariki 2
We will be looking at each month of the Māori new year to understand their unique characteristics. What did our ancestors do during these months? What was the environment like during these months? What season does each month fall into and how are these characteristics noted?
5 of 16Whakamoe Tau
This lesson focuses on students understanding the concept of Whakamoe Tau. During Matariki, our ancestors would reflect on the events of the year gone to help plan for the year ahead ensuring prosperity and affluence for the iwi.
6 of 16Ngā whakataukī mō Matariki
Students will learn about whakataukī and use their language skills to decipher the meaning of each whakataukī and then recreate well known whakataukī in their own words.
7 of 16Te Reo o ngā Whetū
Students will read an excerpt from “Te Tāhū o Ranginui Whakatūria Te Whare Kōkōrangi” written by Hōhepa Tuahine in 2015 at the University of Waikato. This thesis is the first academic piece of literature written in te reo Māori on Te Whare Kōkōrangi.
8 of 16Te Rangi Motuhake o Matariki
This lesson looks at the establishment of the official Matariki national holiday. Students will also learn about significant historical events that helped to contribute to the formation of Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022.
9 of 16Te Pūtake o te Riri
This lesson is a continuation of Te Rangi Motuhake o Matariki and looks at the political achievements that can be accomplished for Māori, for Aotearoa, by one small act.
10 of 16Mānawatia a Matariki - Karakia 1
This lesson focuses on the importance of preparations and karakia in the Hautapu ceremony. Students will watch the first official Matariki public holiday ceremony led by Tā Pou Tēmara, Professor Rangi Matamua and others in Wellington, in 2022.
11 of 16Mānawatia a Matariki - Karakia 2
The following 4 lessons are focussed on preparing students to demonstrate a roleplay Hautapu ceremony at kura. This lesson focuses on the importance of karakia and the important role it plays in our customs and practices like the Hautapu ceremony during Matariki
12 of 16Mānawatia a Matariki - Karakia 3
This lesson focuses on the importance of karakia in the Hautapu ceremony. Students will learn karakia created by Tā Pou Temara, Professor Rangi Mātāmua for use in the Hautapu ceremony during Matariki.
13 of 16Hautapu
This lesson focuses on the entire Hautapu ceremony. Over the past few weeks, students have been learning about the different components of the Hautapu. They will now apply these learnings to a roleplay Hautapu at kura.
14 of 16Kōrero Tene
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the information and topics taught over the 8 weeks of this Matariki unit by impromptu speech.
15 of 16Mānawatia a Matariki - He Aromatawai
This is a mock exam for students to demonstrate their understanding of this 8-week unit, Mānawatia a Matariki. This is a summative assessment that covers reading, writing, listening and speaking.
16 of 16
About this resource
Wāhanga Ako: Te Reo Māori ,Tikanga ā-Iwi, Ngā mahi a Rēhia
Taumata: Taumata 6, Taumata 7, Taumata 8
Learning Intention: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the ‘umu kohukohu whetū’ as well as
compose and perform an original ‘heri kai’.
Rauemi: Powerpoint, Video
Kaupapa: Te Mātahi o te Tau Matariki Ahunga Nui
Kohinga: Mānawatia a Matariki