All About Matariki
Matariki
A time to reflect A time to celebrate
During Matariki we reflect and remember, celebrate our efforts, and make plans.
Matariki is also a time to mourn our dead (remember the star Pōhutukawa). The mourning period is after Matariki sets and before it rises. We remember people who have died during the past year and honour their memory by sharing stories, songs, or creating something. The names of our dead are often called during karakia.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi
Waipuna-ā-rangi
Skim-read about the 9 stars
Matariki
Tupuānuku
Tupuārangi
Waitī
Waitā
Ururangi
Pōhutukawa
Mother of the eight stars
connected to the rain
known as the wishing star
Connected to the dead
Associated with food grown in the ground
Associated with food that comes from the sky and is linked to birds
Connected to fresh water and its living creatures
Associated with the ocean and represents food gathered from the sea
connected to the wind
Scan for key information
The first star Matariki is known as the mother of the eight stars in the constellation. Matariki is connected to health and wellbeing and is often viewed as a sign of good fortune or health to come in the following year. If the cluster and the Matariki star is bright and high in the sky, it is a signal of wellbeing, peace, and good luck for observers.
You can look upon this star to set your intentions of prioritizing your health and wellbeing. This could mean considering joining a gym or taking up mindful practices such as meditation.
Scan for key information
Matariki – the mother of the eight whetu in the constellation.
The whetu Matariki was taken as a wife by Rehua (not considered part of the Matariki constellation – he is the great lord of the stars, the whetu Antares, which Māori believe is paramount chief of the heavens). Matariki is connected to wellbeing, and at times Matariki was viewed as an omen of good fortune and health. If the cluster, and especially the individual Matariki whetu was seen high and bright in the night sky, it denoted good luck, peace and wellbeing for those who observed it. If it was seen in the sky when a patient was suffering from an illness it was taken as a sign they would soon recover. This association with health is affirmed in the saying ‘Matariki, huarahi ki te orange tangata’; ‘Matariki, pathway to the wellbeing of man’. It is important to note that Rehua is also connected to wellbeing and medicine and those suffering from ailments would trust in Rehua for the power to heal. It is within both Rehua and Matariki that knowledge of wellbeing and medicine exists, and both have the power to heal. Together Rehua and Matariki produced the other whetu in the cluster, each with its own unique purpose and meaning.
Scan for key information
The second star is Pōhutukawa, which is connected to the dead and those who have passed away in the past year. Māori belief covers that the spirit leaves the body when a person dies, and then journeys along the pathway of spirits known as Te Ara Wairua. This journey ends at the tip of the North Island at Te Rerenga Wairua where an ancient Pōhutukawa tree stands on a rocky ledge towards the ocean. The spirits then descend the aka (root) of the tree entering the underworld.
You can look upon this star in reflection and remembrance of loved ones who have passed.
Scan for key information
Pōhutukawa – is connected to the dead, and in particular those who have passed on from the world since the last heliacal rising of Matariki in the month of Pipiri.
Māori belief determines that when an individual dies, their spirit leaves their body and undertakes a journey along Te Ara Wairua, the pathway of the spirits. This journey ends at the northernmost point of the North Island at a place called Te Rerenga Wairua (the departing place of the spirits). The dead travel along the rocky ledge towards the ocean where an ancient pōhutakawa tree stands. They then descend the aka (root) of this tree and disappear into the underworld. ‘Below Te Aka, the long dry root of the pōhutakawa which does not quite reach the sea, is Maurianuku, the entrance to the underworld. Pōhutakawa is the whetu that connects Matariki to the deceased and it is the reason why people would cry out the names of the dead and weep when Matariki was seen rising in the early morning.
Scan for key information
The third star is Tupuānuku which is associated with food grown in the ground. This star is looked upon during the month of May to indicate that the summer harvest has ended, and winter is near.
You can look upon this star and set an intention to get out into your vege garden. June is a great time to plant winter vegetables such as spinach, silver beet, lettuce, onions, and peas. Homegrown kai that can be shared with whānau and friends.
Scan for key information
Tupuānuku – is the whetu associated with food grown in the ground.
This whetu is connected to all cultivated and uncultivated food products and is the reason the Matariki cluster is immortalised in the proverb ‘Hauhake tū, ka tō Matariki’; ‘Lifting of the crops begins when Matariki sets’. When Matariki sets in the western sky at dusk during the month of May, the harvesting of the gardens has been completed and winter is near.
Scan for key information
The fourth star is Tupuārangi which is associated with food that comes from the sky and is linked to birds. Traditionally kererū were harvested around this time. It is also connected to the harvesting of elevated foods such as berries and fruits.
Look upon this star to find inspiration for your five plus a day. Winter berries and fruits can be harvested around this time. Such as kiwifruit, fejoia, lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, and passionfruit. Try collecting this fresh kai and sharing with your community, whānau and friends.
Scan for key information
Tupuārangi – is associated with food that comes from the sky. Tupuārangi is linked to birds.
During the rising of Matariki, kererū were harvested in large numbers, cooked and then preserved in their own fat. This activity gave rise to the statement ‘ka kitea a Matariki, kua maoka te hinu,’ meaning ‘When Matariki is seen the fat of the kererū is rendered so the birds can be preserved’. Tupuārangi connects the cluster to the harvesting of birds and other elevated food such as fruit and berries from the trees.
Scan for key information
The fifth star is Waitī which is connected to fresh water and living creatures in the rivers, streams, and lakes.
You can look upon this star is recognition and appreciation of our fresh waters in Aotearoa. It is a great time to set intentions to help preserve our freshwater ways, such as not wasting water or joining community stream cleaning events.
Scan for key information
Waitī –is connected to fresh water and all of the creatures that live within rivers, streams and lakes.
The association Waitī and Matariki have with the creatures of fresh water is reflected in the proverb ‘Ka kitea a Matariki ka rere te korokoro’. The korokoro is the lamprey, and these aquatic creatures leave the ocean during late winter and early spring, migrating up freshwater streams to spawn. This process occurs when Waitī is seen in the morning sky.
Scan for key information
The sixth star is Waitā (twin of Waitī) which is associated with the ocean and represents food gathered from the sea. This star is also significant for its influences over tides and floodwaters.
You can look upon this star to set intentions of protecting our salt waters and living creatures within. This can involve practicing environmentally sustainable practices such as conserving water, reducing waste and fishing responsibly.
Scan for key information
Waitā – is associated with the ocean, representing the many kinds of food Māori gather from the sea.
Furthermore it is said that when Matariki sits just above the water horizon, it has significant influence over tides of the ocean and the floodwaters.
Scan for key information
The seventh star is Waipuna-ā-rangi which is connected to the rain. The name itself means "water that pools in the sky".
You can look upon this star in reflection and recognition of how vital fresh rainfall is to life on earth.
Scan for key information
Waipunarangi – is connected to the rain, and the name itself can be translated to mean ‘water that pools in the sky’.
The pooling of water on the ground caused by heavy and persistent showers of the winter months are referred to as Matariki tāpuapua’.
Scan for key information
The eighth star is Ururangi which is connected to the wind. The name means "the winds of the sky". Traditionally used to forecast the nature of the wind for the year to come.
Scan for key information
Ururangi – means ‘the winds of the sky’.
This whetu determines the nature of the winds for the year.
Scan for key information
The final star is hiwa-i-te-rangi which is connected to the promise of a prosperous season. It is also known as the wishing star. Māori traditionally would use this star to set their desires and dreams for the year, commonly known now as New Year’s resolutions.
You can look upon this star to set goals and resolutions for the year to come.
Scan for key information
Hiwa-i-te-rangi – is the final whetu in this group and its name is connected to the promise of a prosperous season.
It is to Hiwa that Māori would send their dreams and desires for the year in the hope that they would be realised. This tradition is similar to the notion of wishing upon a whetu, or a New Year’s resolution.
Te Iwa o Matariki - The 9 stars of Matariki