Historic & cultural importance of waka
In this unit, students investigate the importance of waka for tangata whenua. They will look at kōrero tuku iho and whakataukī, and explore whakairo and kowhaiwhai designs.
Learning Outcomes
Students will
explore kōrero tuku iho (Māori legends) and whakataukī (Māori proverbs) related to waka and retell / reinterpret aspects of these
examine whakairo and kowhaiwhai on traditional waka and create some of their own designs
Curriculum Links
Social Science:
Place and Environment
Continuity and Change
The Arts:
Understanding the Arts in Context
Developing Ideas
Communicating and Interpreting
Te Reo Māori:
Te Whakatōtanga 1: Kōrero
English:
making meaning
creating meaning
Digital Technology:
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes
Computational Thinking
1) Kōrero tuku iho & whakataukī
Kōrero tuku iho (Māori legends) and whakataukī (Māori proverbs) are full of references to waka. To introduce the topic, select a legend / proverb that is relevant to your local area. Click on the arrow on the right to see some options you could use.
Books
Rātā me te Rākau (Junior Journal 57, Level 2, 2018)
The legend of Te Wheke and Kupe (English and te reo Māori)
Maui's Taonga Tales (collection of legends)
Whakataukī
He waka eke noa - A canoe which we are all in with no exception; about working together for a joint purpose.
Kaua e rangiruatia te hāpai o te hoe; e kore tō tātou waka e ū ki uta - Don’t paddle out of unison; our canoe will never reach the shore; about the importance of everyone working together to complete a joint project.
He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka - A choppy sea can be navigated by a waka; you don't control the sea, you control your own actions.
He pakaru a waka e taea te raupine mai - A damaged vehicle can be repaired; this is about keeping things in perspective.
Class Activity
Discuss the legend / proverb as a class. Who is telling the story / proverb and why? What are we learning from it? Is it still relevant for us today, and if so, how?
Possible Student Activities (choose from the following):
Use Stopmotion animation to retell parts of your chosen legend.
Rewrite / retell your chosen legend but set it in the 21st Century.
What was the very first journey from Hawaiki to Aotearoa like? Interview the rangatira Kupe using Greenscreen technology.
Create an interactive game in Scratch where your player is Kupe and tries to catch te wheke-a-Muturangi
You are on Kupe's waka Matawhaorua following te wheke-a-Muturangi. Document your journey Instagram-style by creating images with brief captions. Feel free to use your imagination!
Write up a list of questions and interview one of your tupuna about their journey to Aotearoa New Zealand. If you can’t interview them personally, imagine what their answers might be.
Complete the activities in Te Tuhiwaehere ki a Kupe (Coding with Kupe)
Environment - Rata and the TreeCopy of TAH-8.mp42) Waka - whakairo & kowhaiwhai
Different types of waka have served different purposes through history. More information is available in the next unit about Design & building waka. For this unit we will focus on the designs on waka taua and the stories these tell.
Take your class to visit a waka taua on display in your local area. If you are unsure, contact your local rūnanga to find out more about what is available in your local area, they might also be able to direct you to local experts about waka and about whakairo. If these options are not available to you, you could base your activities on this 3D version of Ngātokimatawhaorua as on display at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Waka taua Ngātokimatawhaorua
Ngātokimatawhaorua was built for the 100-year commemorations of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1940. It is carved from three locally sourced kauri trees. Kaiwhakairo (carvers) from Tainui and Ngāpuhi were responsible for creating the waka, and the rauawa (gunwales) are carved in a distinct Ngāpuhi style.
The tauihu (bow) and taurapa (stern) were carved separately and were the last parts to be attached to the waka. The project took 2 1/2 years to complete.
The waka was named after the ancestral waka of Ngāpuhi. It is housed on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and since 1974 gets take out most years for Waitangi Day.
Class Activity
Explore the whakairo (carvings) and kowhaiwhai (painted designs) on the waka. What do students notice? Are there any elements they are familiar with? What do students think inspired these designs? Why is this waka decorated in this way?
Possible Student Activities (choose from the following):
Recreate some of the carving designs you have seen on the waka or design your own. Use clay or SculptGL.
Recreate some of the kowhaiwhai designs you have seen on the waka or design your own using. Use pencils / feltpen or a digital drawing app such as Google Drawing or Autodraw.
Symmetry is an important element in whakairo and kowhaiwhai. Use Tinkercad to show examples of symmectrical designs.
Build and decorate your own waka taua. Use natural items / recycled items, adding designs with permanent markers or similar OR build your waka taua in Tinkercad, adding your designs through the scribble and the hole tools.
Whakairo tells stories: Create a pou whakairo in SculptGL that tells the story of your family or your ancestors coming to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Additional Links and Resources
Please ensure you have read through all resources and watched all videos before you share these with your class to check they are suitable for your students. Please also make sure you take notice of any copyright of the materials contained in below sites.