Matariki – 4 Stars explained.

This term we had to do a blog for Matariki and to explain 4 stars.  The first one was Tupuānuku. Tupuānuku is the star that represents food grown in the ground and the second one is Tupuārangi.

Tupuārangi  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 and the third one is Waitī .

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 and the last one is Waitā

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.

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