BY RAKSHA CHANDRA

MATIRIKI During Matariki we celebrate our unique place in the world.We give respect to the whenua ( family ) on which we live,and admiration to our mother earthThroughout Matariki we learn about those who came before us.Our history. Our family , our ancestors and Our bones.Matariki signals growth.It’s a time of change.It’s a time to prepare

To weve cloths ,baskets and more woven and non woven itemsDuring Matariki we acknowledge what we haveand what we have to give.Matariki celebrates the diversity of life.It’s a celebration of culture, language, spirit and people.Matariki is our Pacific New Year

WHO CELEBRATES MATIRIKI

• Any-one who wishes to participate

• Manly Māori people

HOW DO WE CELEBRATE MATIRIKI

remembrance and the planting of new trees and crops signalling new beginnings. Matariki was the optimum time for new harvests, and ceremonial offerings to the land-based gods Rongo, Uenuku and Whiro to ensure good crops for the coming year. It was also seen as a perfect time to learn about the land we live on and to remember whakapapa (ancestry) who have passed from this world to the next and the legacy they left behind.

WHEN IS MATIRIKI• Matiriki is in late June

• The new moon is in July

HOW LONG IS MATIRIKI • Matiriki is about 3 days

WHAT IS MATIRIKI• Matariki is the Maori name for the group of stars also known as the

Pleiades star cluster or the Seven Sisters and what is referred to as the traditional Maori New Year. The Maori New Year is raised of Matariki and the sighting of the next new moon. The pre-dawn rise of Matariki can be seen in the last few days of May every year and the New Year is marked at the sighting of the next new moon which occurs during June. Matariki events occur throughout New Zealand and the timing of the events depending on what you wish .