The science and practice of Māori astronomy and Matariki - Whaanga, Hēmi; Harris, Pauline; Matamua, Rangi (New Zealand Science Review, 2020)
Ki te iwi Māori me ōna tūpuna, ko ngā hua o te noho tahi, o te āta pānui, o te kōrero anō hoki me ngā whetū, he mea āta tuitui ki te pūtaiao, ki te ahureatanga, ki ngā tikanga aho atua, ki te taiao anō hoki. Ko ngā nekehanga o ngā kāhui whetū he mea āta pānui, ka mutu he whakapono, he mātauranga atu anō hoki tō ia iwi, tō ia takiwā puta noa i a Aotearoa nei mō te ao tukupū. Ko te mātauranga whānui mō te kōkōrangi he mea āta whakatō ki ngā āhuatanga o te pāpori Māori o mua, he mea āta whakaora anō hoki ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, ki ngā tikanga hauhake whenua, ka mutu i āta whakaurua ki roto i ngā tikanga whakatū whare tupuna. Tau atu, tau mai, whakanuia ai te rewanga ake me te tōnga iho o ngā whetū hiahira, ka mutu i kaha whakaatuahia ngā kaupapa katoa o te tuarangi ahakoa pēhea. Mā roto mai i tēnei pepa ka kōrerohia te mātauranga me te pūtaiao mātai arorangi e whai iho nei ki a Matariki, ka tahi, ka rua ka wānangahia te whakarauora haeretanga i ngā tikanga tuku iho e hāngai nei ki taua kāhui whetū me tana pānga nuitanga ki te ahurea o te whenua o nāianei, o Aotearoa. For Māori and their ancestors, the results of living with, studying and talking about the stars were woven into science, language, culture, religious practice and environment. The movements of the celestial bodies were studied in great detail, and all tribal groups and regions throughout Aotearoa maintained their own unique beliefs and understandings of the universe. The extensive knowledge of the night sky was embedded into traditional Māori society, preserved in oral tradition, planting and harvesting practices, and incorporated into the building of ancestral houses. Every year, the rising and setting of important stars were celebrated, and all manner of cosmological events were worshipped. In this paper we will discuss the astronomical knowledge and science associated with Matariki (Pleiades) and discuss how the regeneration of the traditional practice associated with this celestial cluster is playing a significant role in the modern cultural landscape of Aotearoa.