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This thesis explores the use of the Maramataka – lunar calendar as a tool for school curriculum use. For centuries Māori have used mātauranga (knowledge) of their environment to guide their day-to-day activities such as travelling, fishing, planting, harvesting, resting and partaking in cultural practices. Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) such as the Maramataka is described by Broughton, et al. (2015) as traditional philosophies that have been engraved into Māori culture over successive generations. Māori structures of living have been developed through theories and experience, resulting in the expansion of knowledge and wisdom. The Maramataka is considered a taonga, which can translate as treasure or valuable belonging, that is both tangible and intangible. Examples of taonga include whenua (land), Whakapapa (genealogy, lineage), pounamu (greenstone), language and thoughts. Taonga are reciprocal and Māori believe that by working with and acknowledging that they are a part of the environment, then they are able to live prosperously and in harmony (Henare, 2007). Due to colonisation, Māori have become assimilated by western modes of knowledge and have therefore often disregarded, or have nearly lost, their own mātauranga. It has only been in the last 15-20 years that some taonga have been revitalised by tohunga Māori (Māori experts). This has led to a movement within a variety of groups who are eager to employ Mātauranga Māori, Tikanga Māori, Kaupapa Māori, Tino Rangatiratanga and the Maramataka as part of their guiding principles. Such groups include the three kura (schools) in this research of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe, Te Kura Taumata o Panguru and Te Kura o Mātihetihe. All three kura have knowledge of the Maramataka and have been working with tohunga kōkōrangi (astronomical experts), kaumātua (elders), their communities and external agencies to develop a curriculum that is focused on environmental sustainability, academic success from both a western and Tirohanga Māori (Māori worldview) perspective and a continuum of Mātauranga Māori revitalisation that includes the Maramataka. In this thesis I use Kaupapa Māori, Tino Rangatiratanga, Āta, Tikanga Māori and Manaakitanga as my foundational philosophies, to ensure that the mana (autonomy) and mātauranga of the participants and their tūpuna (ancestors) are upheld. Finally, I conclude that the Maramataka can be used in a variety of contexts, especially as an additional curriculum document that will enhance academic success and increase cultural cohesiveness and competency in Aotearoa. |
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