Activity 1: The First Settlers
It is widely believed that the first people to arrive in New Zealand came from Polynesia. Most historians believe that they landed in New Zealand over 700 years ago. Although they were originally from many different countries, these settlers learned to live together and, eventually, formed their own distinct culture known as ‘Māori.’ Māori have their own language, traditions, and culture.
Follow this link to read a short story about a famous man in Māori mythology – Maui. On your blog, post three facts that you learned about this interesting man. What other stories have you heard about Maui?
- Maui was the youngest of the brothers.
- The people all said Maui was the greatest fisherman.
- Every time Maui's brothers said he couldn't fish Maui got angry.
Activity 2: Setting Sail
The first settlers to come to New Zealand must have been really brave! They had to leave their original homes and sail thousands of miles across the ocean on a special boat called a ‘waka’ to reach New Zealand.
Imagine that you were on board one of the wakas. On your blog, write a short letter to a friend telling them about your voyage to New Zealand. In the letter be sure to tell them how you feel about moving to a new country. If it was me, I would have felt really nervous…
Dear Eevee my pet pokemon,
I have embarked on a massive journey across the sea. I have gone on a search for new land, I am nervous we will not make it to a new land. During the day we get really lost and correct ourselves during the night. When I move to this new land I fear I may never see you again.
Signed your loving trainer
Thomas.
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you've decided to participate in the Summer Learning Blogging program!! Well done!
You've chosen to learn about Maui - he was clearly a very important figure in Maori story-telling. You chose good facts to represent that you had read about him.
I think your letter to Eevee was very creative. I can only imagine how many travelers got lost at sea as they attempted to find the islands of what would become New Zealand - such a small country in a very big ocean. It's terribly inspiring to know that the Polynesians were so skilled that they could make the trip from Hawaii and other islands to New Zealand and back many many times over the centuries. Astounding really, isn't it?
I'm enjoying reading your blog from Canada where we're in the thick of winter. I hope you've had a merry Christmas and that you'll continue to participate in the program!
Sincerely,
Leslie
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteMy name's Ruby and I'm one of the people who will be blogging with you this summer as part of the Summer Learning Journey program. It's great to see that you've made a start on these activities! Well done!
Those are good facts about Maui. Did you enjoy the story? I thought it was a great story and an important part of Aotearoa's mythology. Have you read the story about how Maui brought fire to the world? It's a really good one. Here is the link if you are interested in it: http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-brought-fire-to-the-world
Great work with your letter! What a creative idea to write it to a pokemon! I'm not sure the original Maori settlers had pokemon though. A lot of the Maori settlers would have been very nervous to set out to a new land! It's great how you talked about correcting your path at night because the Maori settlers used the stars as their map so would have a much better idea of where they were at night time!
What sorts of things do you think the Maori settlers would have been looking forward to about landing in New Zealand?
I look forward to reading more of your blog over summer.
Cheers,
Ruby.