Matariki National holiday extra day...

 

This is some artwork that I completed at our last class noho (weekend stayover). My colleague is into art, as I am, and this is a depiction of the Matariki star cluster of nine stars.

I used white crayon on Watercolour paper then added the aquamarine blue dye which gives it a really rich affect.

It's neat that the Māori Indigenous educational organization that I work with has given us an extra day holiday today to celebrate our third national Māori Indigenous holiday tomorrow.

What's also neat is that the theme is about: Remembering (those who have passed away during the year) yesterday, acknowledging where we currently are and planning for the future. I'm also glad that the organizers of this special holiday have stipulated that it's not about having mad rush sales and shopping i.e. retailers cutting into the holiday.

But it's more about spending time gathering together with your family whether it be back at the Marae, at home or at a special place to regroup and plan for the Māori new year ahead. Traditional this is the time of the new year before the Gregorian calender that we use internationally.

Each star in the 9-star cluster also are named and represent important information that have spanned the generations. It's been really exciting to learn of these properties and to also learn that when Captain Cook landed on New Zealand, that he had no idea of the depth and breath that Māori culture already had in their understandings of the weather systems, astronomy and so much else that I have learned over the years in working at this indigenous institution.

Suffice to say that it's truly been a blessing and a real tip of the iceberg stuff and it has been an amazing challenge in learning all of the things that were never taught to me in high school and in the other educational organizations that I had post graduate studies classes in...