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Matariki: Te Whetū Tapu o te Tau

Te whānau Matariki. Image: Te Haunui Tuna, 2016, supplied by Rangi Matamua

Posted: Wednesday 18 January 2018

By Rangi Matamua

Published by Huia, 2017

Marsden Fund contract UOW1404 'Te Mauria Whiritoi: the sky as a cultural resource - Maori astronomy, ritual and ecological knowledge'

MATA02 Cover FA

 

In mid-winter, Matariki rises in the pre-dawn sky, and its observation is celebrated with incantations on hilltops at dawn, balls, exhibitions, dinners and a vast number of events. The Matariki tradition has been re-established, and its regeneration coincides with a growing interest in Māori astronomy. Still, there remain some unanswered questions about how Matariki was traditionally observed. These include:

  • What is Matariki?
  • Why did Māori observe Matariki?
  • How did Māori traditionally celebrate Matariki?
  • When and how should Matariki be celebrated?

Based on research and interviews with Māori experts, this book seeks answers to these questions and explores what Matariki was in a traditional sense so it can be understood and celebrated in our modern society.

Link to the publisher's website

Link to Assoc. Prof. Matamua's webpage