Information about the Maramataka Māori. 

Maramataka

Therefore, in the early morning when Matariki is seen rising, this is the sign of the new year. 

In the traditional Māori Maramataka, or lunar calendar, the new year begins with the first new moon following the appearance of Matariki&nbsp;(The Pleiades)&nbsp;on the eastern horizon. Usually this takes place in the period June-July.

Ka tīmata ana te koanga, kua roa haere ake ngā rā, kua poto haere ngā pō. Ka rewa haere te hukapapa kei ngā maunga, me te tio kei te whenua. Ka pau haere ana ngā kai, nō reira me whakarite i te whenua mārā kūmara me mārā taro, ā, me whakatika i ngā kupenga hī ika. Ka waiata ana ngā manu o te ngāhere, o te moana, o tuawhenua nā te mea kua whānau ngā pīpī manu.

Ko Matariki te kaitō i te hunga pakeke ki te pō Matariki draws the frail into the night sky

Te Waka o Rangi is the waka that collects the souls of those that have passed throughout the year. Pohutukawa guides the waka while Taramainuku is the navigator.

Each year Taramainuku casts out his net “Te Kupenga o Taramainuku” and gathers all the souls that have passed from the last rising of Matariki. As Taramainuku gathers the souls in his net they await until Matariki arises again before Taramainuku casts his net and all the souls he has collected take their place in the night sky as stars. Māori believe that the dead spend eternity adorning the night sky and watching over us. 

Kua whetūrangihia koe You have become a start

<a href="https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/events/ko-matariki-e-arau-ana-the-gathering-of-matariki-gold-coast/">https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/events/ko-matariki-e-arau-ana-the-gathering-of-matariki-gold-coast/</a>

Ka puta mai ko Waitī te whetū o te wai māori. Ko ia te tohu o ngā hua o ngā awa, he tuna, he kōura, he wātakirihi.

Waitī = sweet Waitī is the star that is connected to fresh water and all the creatures that live in bodies of fresh water such as lakes, rivers, streams. When Waitī is seen in the morning sky, korokoro (lamprey) can be seen leaving the ocean and migrating upstream to freshwater to spawn.

Ka puta mai ko Waitā te whetu o te wai tote.&nbsp;Ko ia te tohu o ngā hua o te moana, he ika, he mātaitai.&nbsp;

Waitā is connected to the ocean - waitā ia an old word for salt water. So Waitā is connected to all the creatures that live in the moana - ika, kaimoana that provide food for Māori. The tides are affected by the rising and setting of the moon but at the time when Matariki sits on the horizon the tides are influenced even more.

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

Kua&nbsp;raki&nbsp;ana te whenua i te rā.&nbsp; The land has dried out from the sun.

Huitanguru is named for the tanguru – a large green beetle also known as the kekerewai – which was found throughout forests.

Ruhi is a summer star near Rehua (Antares). The word&nbsp;ruhi means “enervated”, “languid”, and Ruhi is said to cause man and vegetation to become so; she and Rehua personify the heat of summer.

All things on earth cohere owing to the cold; likewise man. 

Pipiri means to cling together, to keep closer together. It's what we do in winter to keep warm. Its western equivalent is June although of course it doesn't really equate because the Gregorian calendar is based on the sun and the months were named at different times over history. June was named for Juno the Roman Goddess. June is also mid summer in the Northern Hemisphere. What they do have in common is a solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere it's the winter solstice and in the Northern Hemisphere it's the summer solstice. These mark the mid-points of the winter and summer and the time when the sun stands still - it reaches its highest or lowest point of the year.

Ko te kōrero o te maramataka Māori tēnei. He rua ngā wahanga i te maramataka Māori. Ko Raumati me Hōtoke Takurua rānei. I te Hōtoke he roa ngā pō engari he poto ngā rangi. Kei runga i ngā maunga he hukapapa, kei te tio i te whenua. He tino makariri. Kei roto i te rua he kūmara me taro. Kei roto i te pātaka kai he kai tino reka. He manu huahua, ika pāwhara, ika māroke hoki.

Ko Matariki te tohu o te tau hou Māori. Ko ia te kahui whetū. Ko Matariki te wā mō te maumahara o ngā mate. He whakanui ngā mahi o te tangata. He whakapiki te oranga o te tinana, o te hinengaro, o te wairua o te tangata me te taiao. I te Hōtoke, Takurua i noho ngā tupuna i te taha o te ahi. I kōrero rātou, i ako rātou i te whakapapa, ako mōteatea, ako pūrākau, ako karakia, ako tikanga me kawa, ako ki te tiaki o te taiao. Nō reira, kei kōnei te kōrero ātaahua mō te Maramataka Māori.

Waka Huia Rereata Mākiha

Rereata Makiha is a renowned Māori astrologer and a leading authority on the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). He talks in this video about how the gregorian calendar which was imposed on Māori when the European settlers came has dismissed generations of indigenous knowledge and disturbed the whole rhythm of life. In turn this has affected the hauora and wairua of Māori. It dismisses the deep science that sits behind Maramataka Māori

<a href="https://toitangata.co.nz/2020/01/14/rereata-makiha/">https://toitangata.co.nz/2020/01/14/rereata-makiha/</a>

EIT Public Lecture  - Dr Rangi Matamua

Dr Rangi Matamua Facebook Page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Livingbythestars/">Living by The Stars</a>

Anna Coddington 'Purea Nei'

E waiatahia ana e te <a href="http://www.folksong.org.nz/purea_nei/index.html">kōrero</a> o ngā māhanga Reitū rāua ko Reipae - Purea Nei

Hoki kia purea koe e nga hau o ou maunga, kia horoia koe e te ua.

Purea nei e te hau Horoia e te ua Whitiwhitia e te&nbsp;ra Mahea ake nga poraruraru Makere ana nga here. E rere wairua, e rere Ki nga ao o te rangi Whitiwhitia e te ra Mahea ake nga poraruraru Makere ana nga here, Makere ana nga here.

Scattered by the wind washed by the rain and&nbsp;transformed by the sun, all doubts are swept away and&nbsp;all restrains are cast down.. Fly O free spirit, fly to the clouds in the heavens, transformed by the sun, with&nbsp;all doubts swept away and&nbsp;all restrains cast down. Yes,&nbsp;all restrains are cast down.

E rua ngā wahanga o te Maramataka Māori. Ko Hōtoke/Takurua rānei ā, ko Raumati. Ko te Takurua, he wahanga tino makariri. Titiro ki te rangi, ka kite koe a Matariki te kāhui whetū , e tohu ana i te timatanga o te tau hou Māori. He roa ngā pō engari he poto ngā rā. Kei ngā pō, ka noho Pipiri, ka noho Hōngongoi, ka noho Here-turi-kōkā ngā waewae ki mua i te ahi whakarongo kōrero pūrākau, ako mōteatea, karakia, kōrero whakapapa, tikanga, kawa ai.

<a href="https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/matariki-maori-new-year/whare-tapere/matariki-star-facts">Matariki Star Facts</a>

As we have learned about the Maramataka Māori and Matariki and Ngā Ātua o te Ao Māori what has struck me is how they are all connected. Each of the ātua are kaitiaki of an element of the world, the whetu in Matariki also connect to elements and have a defined purpose and the names of the months are the names of stars and they govern or suggest specific actions to do with the way the world works as they rise and fall.

The other thing that I noticed was how the stars are balanced male and female across the constellation. And that they have complementary roles. That whole idea of balance in te Ao Māori and in other indigenous ways of being and living is interesting and is something that we seem to have lost as we have become more homogenised across the world. Some of that balance has been reset during the COVID19 rāhui. We have had time to stop and listen and notice the world around us. We have started to rise and go to sleep more in rhythm with the natural light of the day. This all also fits in with the balance of the Whare Tapa Whā model.

Although the shortest day has gone and the days are getting longer, it is still cold and we have been keeping warm in front of the fires at night. By day mahi is starting as the earth starts to warm and can be prepared for planting.

The scorching effect of the  fire on the knees of man is seen.

E ikatia ana ngā inanga e ngā tupuna i te Hereturikōkā. Whitebait are caught by the ancestors in Hereturikōkā.

Nā Io matua kore i hanga te ao mai te kore, te pō ki te ao marama. Nānā i hanga a Ranginui rāua ko Papatuānuku. Ka moe a Ranginui i a Papatuānuku.&nbsp;Ka puta ko Tangotango. Ka moe a Tangotango i a Wainui. Ka puta ko Matariki. Ka moe a Matariki i a Rēhua.

E ai ki ētahi iwi e iwa ngā whētu, engari e ai ki ētahi atu iwi e whitu ngā whētu.&nbsp;

Traditional Forms of Maori Learning

hōngongoi is a verb which means to crouch from the cold in front of the fire

Man is now extremely cold and so kindles fires before which he sits. 

I te marama o Hōngongoi, kua tino mātao te tangata, me te tahutahu ahi, ka pāinaina. Kei te noho te tangata i te taha o te ahi. Kei te ako i ngā pūrakau me ngā mōteatea me te tikanga o te ao Māori.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/easegill/16350324465/in/album-72157650019545660/">Campfire</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/easegill">robeanne</a> via <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> CC-BY

Crops have now been stored in the store pits, man's work is done

Kei roto i te pataka kai he kai reka. He manu huahua, ika pāwhara, ika māroke hoki. I kohitia ngā harore e te tangata.

<a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/kumara/page-3#:~:text=Pits%20included%20small%20rectangular%20holes,out%20vermin%20and%20the%20elements.">https://teara.govt.nz/en/kumara/page-3#:~:text=Pits%20included%20small%20rectangular%20holes,out%20vermin%20and%20the%20elements.</a>

Birds are in their nests and the land is ploughed and lays bare. Hakihea is identified by the rising of the star Rehua (Antares). Karaka berries are ripening and flowers are abundant. The pōhutukawa is in bloom and some crops are ready for harvesting.

The Maramataka, which literally means ‘the moon turning,’&nbsp;is the Māori lunar calendar, and is the traditional Māori way by which time was marked.  It comes from the phrase 'te taka o te marama' - the turning of the moon

E whia ngā wāhanga o te Maramataka Māori?

E rua ngā wāhanga o te Maramataka Māori, ko Hõtoke/Takurua me Raumati. Engari i te tau pākeha, e whā ngā wāhanga. Ko Kõanga, ko Raumati, ko Ngahuru, ko Hõtoke.

E whia ngā marama o te Maramataka Māori?

Ko ngā whetu ngā ingoa o ngā marama o te Maramataka Māori. Ko Pipiri, Hõngongoi, Hereturikõkā, Mahuru, Whiringa-ā-Nuku, Whiringa-ā-rangi, Hakihea, Kohitātea, Huitāngaru, Poutūterangi, Paengawhāwhā, Haratua.

<a href="https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/matariki-maori-new-year/maramataka/months-maramataka">https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/matariki-maori-new-year/maramataka/months-maramataka</a>

Ka puta mai ko Pohutakawa te whetū kawe ngā mate ki te ao wairua. Ko ia te matamua o ngā whetū o Matariki.&nbsp;

"Waihio kia tangi ahau ki taku tūpāpaku: kāpā he uru tī e pihi ake." "Let me weep for my dead; they are not like the heads of the cabbage trees."

Ka puta ko Hiwaiterangi te whetū tuku ai ngā moemoea me ngā wawata ki te rangi&nbsp;.

"Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata; ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tīna." "Seek out the distant horizons and cherish those that you attain"

The earth has now acquired heat as have herbage and trees.

'mahuru' as a word means 'be soothed, set at rest, settled' - I wonder if that is the idea that the winter is ending, storms are starting to abate and the weather is becoming more settled. Or is it that people are settling back into routines of work and endeavour as the sun warms the land and their bones? 

I takatakatia te whenua mō te rerenga o te kūmara me te rīwai e ngā tūpuna i te Mahuru.

All haulm is now stacked at the borders of the plantations

I te wā o te hauhake o ngā kūmara. I houhoutia ngā kumara e ngā tūpuna i Paengawhāwhā. I karakia ngā tūpuna mō te hauhake. I whakaraetia ngā kūmara e te tangata i ngā rua.

Ko Kaipō te whetū kei te ārahi i te marama o&nbsp;Paenga-whāwhā, nā reira kia tūpato he ua, he mātao kei te haere! Kaipō heralds the month of Paenga-whāwhā, so be careful because rain and cold is going to occur!

Mutton bird (tītī) are caught and preserved, while crayfish and freshwater fish continue to be caught. Kahawai fishing season begins.

It is becoming summer, and the sun is strong.

Fruits have now set, and man eats of the new food products of the season. 

kohi = to gather tātea = produce, offspring, issue

I kohitia ngā hua me ngā kākano e ngā tūpuna i te Raumati. Fruit and seeds were gathered by the ancestors in Summer.

Poutūterangi is a lunar phase, usually around March, marked by the rising of the star of the same name, also known as Altair. It is also the sixth phase of summer, Matiti Rautapata. Poutūterangi shines bright in the sky this month which traditionally indicated a time of harvest. Today during Poutūterangi we see awesome festivities and cultural events such as Polyfest and Pasifika.&nbsp;

Poutū = means to be high, at the meridian, or vertical. te rangi = the sky

<a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-03-2020/learning-to-live-by-the-maramataka-poututerangi-2/">https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/03-03-2020/learning-to-live-by-the-maramataka-poututerangi-2/</a>

‘Whiringa’ refers to a plait on a garment and ‘nuku’ to the earth. The two words together refer to spring growth. Crops are planted and crayfish, eel, inanga, and freshwater fish are caught inland. The roots of the tī kōuka tree are dug up and used for medicinal purposes.

I houhoutia ngā rarau o te tī kōuka mō te rongoā e ngā tūpuna i Whiringa ā-Nuku.

Ka puta mai ko Tupu-ā-rangi. Ko ia te tohu o ngā hua o ngā rākau, ā, he manu, he miro, he karaka.

Ka kitea a Matariki, kua maoka te hinu When Matariki is seen, the fat of the kererU is rendered so birds can be preserved

Ka whanau mai ko Tupu-ā-nuku. Ko ia te tohu o ngā hua o te whenua; he kūmara, he taro, he hue hoki.

Hauhake tū, ka tō Matariki Lifting of the crops begins when Matariki sets

He wāhanga tino makariri te Takurua. Titiro ki te rangi, ka kite koe ki a Matariki. Ko ia te kāhui whetū. Ko Matariki te tohu o te tau hou Māori. Ko Matariki te kohinga whetu i te uma o Ranginui. Ko Matariki te wā maumahara i ngā mate. He whakanui ngā mahi o te tangata, he whakapiki i te oranga o te tinana, o te hinengaro, o te wairua o te tangata me te taiao.

Ka whanau mai ko Waipunerangi te tohu o te ua.&nbsp;

Waiupunerangi is connected to rain. Wai = water, rangi = sky, puna = spring or pool So Waipunarangi means 'water that pools in the sky'

There is a saying  ‘Te&nbsp;haka&nbsp;a Tānerore’ (Tānerore's war dance) and this refers to the shimmering of hot air during the Summer.

I mohio koe... Springtime showers are called ‘ua kōwhai’ or kōwhai showers?

Ka puta ko Ururangi. Ko ia te pōtiki o te whānau. Ko ia te tohu o te hau o te rangi.&nbsp;

“Hokia ki o maunga kia purea e koe I nga hau o Tawhirimatea”

Ururangi means 'the winds of the sky' uru = west wind Ururangi is the star that determines the winds for the coming year

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