Tuesday 19 March 2019

Kupe and te wheke - a legend of early Maori exploration

Who discovered NZ? Some would say Abel Tasman, some say Captain James Cook. Yes they were early European explorers, but the maori were here long before then.

This week we re-enacted the legend of Kupe and te wheke (the octopus). It is the story of how Maori moved across te moana nui a kiwa (the pacific ocean) and came to Aotearoa from Hawaiiki (popularly thought to be Raiatea north of Tahiti).
Here is a link to the legend version we acted out.


Again we looked at traits of explorers - bravery, curiosity, resilience, determination, problem-solving, having particular skills and knowledge. We discussed navigation by the stars and the sun. We looked at the possibility of this legend being based on truth. Is there anything in the legend that happens in real life? Could Kupe have sailed that far? We looked at people from around the Pacific Islands, including NZ, who have recreated this waka journey using traditional methods to keep the traditions and skills alive.
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