Matariki, Navigation, Animism and Language
So Matariki (the Maori New Year celebration) has
come and gone and the question I am asking is how many New Zealanders really participated
or were in any way aware of it. For myself I was vaguely aware of it but only
through occasional references seen or heard in the media.
Some media pieces referred to Maori navigation
skills. Are we being asked to believe that Maori were professional navigators
and astronomers able to sail the high seas without the aid of map, clock,
compass or sextant? The answer however might well be that Maori were taught
astronomy and the allied sciences by the early colonialists. The colonialists
would have had available all of the modern instruments of the day. There is
nothing wrong with that as an idea and it would have helped to bring a
primitive culture up to date.
To me Maori probably arrived here purely by
accident. If I am not mistaken there is no evidence, oral or otherwise, of
Maori (pre or post colonial) using their so-called navigation skills for a
return to any far-flung Pacific Ocean locations.
I can understand at least one of the Maori beliefs related
to Matariki. I am referring to a piece written by Tuhirangi Blair. Placed on
the Stuff website (11th July).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300354034/why-matariki-is-something-to-celebrate
Tuhirangi Blair wrote:
“The opening of the celebration was a
time of remembrance through the ceremony ‘Whangai i te Hautapu’ where you would
take a moment to reflect on all who had passed in the previous year.”
Nothing overly remarkable or questionable about
that. A great number of religious and even secular cultures conduct commemorative
services for those who have gone before us. Think in terms of Anzac day
services for instance or disaster commemorations.
The next quote is indeed questionable.
“Another significant event during the
celebration was when the tohunga kōkōrangi (astronomers) would take their
reading of the stars and advise how the tribe would focus their efforts for the
upcoming year. For example, if Waipunarangi (the star associated with rain) was
shining bright, then it would be safe to assume there would be a lot of rain in
the coming year.”
Here Tuhirangi Blair is drifting into concepts of
animism, a Maori foundational belief by the way, and astrology as opposed to
astronomy. How the Maori “rain star”, from who knows how many light years
distant, could shine any more or less brightly is beyond me. Or have any
influence on New Zealand weather systems. Could the recent rain and flooding
events in Canterbury be attributed to a success or failure of the “rain star”?
What is my overall take on Matariki? I believe it
is one more method being applied by Maori to push aside and submerge as much as
possible of the Christianised and Westernised culture of New Zealand. A culture
from which Maori have benefitted greatly, repeat greatly.
Maori will be encouraged by the all of media Maori
language effort currently underway. It is worth quoting a couple of items from Stuff’s
mission statement which accompanies many of its Maori interest stories.
Stuff is committed to representing te
ao Māori in our reporting and being a trusted partner for tangata whenua. Our
company kaupapa has Te Tiriti o Waitangi at its core.
By working together our mahi can
better reflect all of Aotearoa, and help make our communities amazing places to
live.
Note how Stuff is working Maori language words into
its pronouncements with an expectation the words will blend seamlessly into
common usage. It won’t work. I am now in the habit of ignoring their efforts. I
don’t bother to waste time seeking translations.
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