In 2023 Touch Compass celebrates Matariki (the Māori New Year) in a cluster of stars and dreams that will connect not only our local and national specialist and mainstream schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, but also other schools and disability-led dance organizations and companies around the world.
We have created a free educational resource for people around the world to engage with Aotearoa New Zealand’s newest national public holiday, Matariki, through the exploration of dance and creativity. This resource comes with short videos of dancers performing movements as they pertain to the nine stars of Matariki, which can be easily adapted to classrooms and organisations around the world. We invite people to share their creation with us, so that we in turn might share it on our social media pages; however, this is not a requirement! We want to share our unique celebration of the winter stars with you, for you to use and enjoy as you see fit.
More about Matariki:
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Matariki is the Māori name for the star cluster also known in other cultures as Pleiades (Greece), Subaru (Japan), Kṛttikā (India), Karatgurk -or- Kungkaraqkalpa (Australia), Matari’i (Tahiti), Makahiki (Hawaii), Freya’s Hens (Scandinavia), Mao (China), IsiLimela (Africa), Motz/Wutx (Mayan Mexico), Qutu and Qolqa (Peru).
For Māori and other New Zealanders, Matariki is an important celebration based on the Māori lunar calendar (Maramataka), a calendar defined by the changing cycles of the moon. Because of this, the date to celebrate Matariki changes every year and depends on the dance the moon creates in the sky. The rise of Matariki during mid-winter, in June and July in Aotearoa New Zealand, represents the beginning of the Māori New Year, when it is possible to witness the appearance of this small bright cluster in the night sky, bringing us messages of revival.
Traditionally, in Māori culture Matariki was a time to remember and honour our ancestors (tipuna), those who have passed on and whose spirits have elevated to become stars.
The celebration of Matariki took place during the time of year when harvest and food stores had built up. Communities and family (whānau) gathered to share ceremonies, conversation (kōrero), food (kai), and entertainment, looking forward to the new year ahead.
Matariki is a time that invites us to reflect on the past and look to the future. It invites us to express gratitude and to connect with our whānau and friends in our life through celebration of the harvest, the generosity and abundance of nature.
