What do Matariki stars represent?
Matariki is the star that signifies reflection, hope, our connection to the environment and the gathering of people. Matariki is also connected to the health and wellbeing of people.
How do you make paper Matariki stars?
How to Make Tissue Paper Matariki Stars:
- Cut 8 squares from the tissue paper.
- Fold one sheet over in a diagonal to make a triangle.
- Open the tissue paper back up.
- Fold the other corner over to meet in the middle.
- Repeat with the other 7 squares of tissue paper.
What are the 9 Matariki stars?
The nine visible stars include: Matariki, Tupuārangi, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Waitī, Tupuānuku, Ururangi, Waitā, Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi. Each star holds a certain significance over our wellbeing and environment, as seen from the Māori view of the world.
Which star of Matariki is the Wishing star?
Hiwa-i-te-rangi
Hiwa-i-te-rangi is one of the 9 stars in the Matariki star cluster. It is known as the ‘wishing star’. This star has a connection to our hopes, dreams and aspirations for the year ahead.
Does Matariki have 7 or 9 stars?
The nine stars of Matariki There are nine stars in the Greek tradition of the constellation: seven children and their parents. In the Māori tradition, there are also nine stars: Matariki (Alcyone) – the mother of the other stars in the constellation.
Where can I find Matariki stars?
To find Matariki, look to the left of Tautoru (the pot), find the bright orange star, Taumata-kuku (Alderbaran). Follow an imaginary line from Tautoru, across to Taumata-kuku and keep going until you hit a cluster of stars. That cluster is Matariki. If you have good eyes you should be able to pick out individual stars.
What are the myths and stories around the stars of Matariki?
In Greek mythology the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione. Zeus immortalised the sisters by turning them into doves and then into stars to form the Pleiades in the Taurus constellation. Matariki rises in midwinter and for many Māori, it signals the start of a new year.
What is the story of Matariki?
Traditionally, Matariki was a time to acknowledge the dead and to release their spirits to become stars. It was also a time to reflect, to be thankful to the gods for the harvest, to feast and to share the bounty of the harvest with family and friends.