Māori knowledge of animals – local contexts
Aotearoa New Zealand is rich in animal life – from tiny pepeketua and giant wētāpunga to ngā manu a Tānemahuta and ngā ika a Tangaroa. Some of these animals are unique to particular locations, and many feature in local narratives.
Animals help us to connect to place and community. Within Aotearoa, animals also whakapapa to ngā atua and some act as kaitiaki – spiritual guardians – to particular hapū.
Māori knowledge of animals
This interactive groups animals through Māori frameworks based on whakapapa. Click on the labels for information about the animal groupings.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
In this activity, ākonga explore animals of interest to them or of local relevance to their rohe or local area. They are encouraged to look beyond the generic features of the animal to consider local mātauranga and/or other local connections.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
choose an animal of personal or local interest
use literacy skills to locate information about the animal species or group of animals, including local mātauranga
become a local expert about the animal
communicate their findings.
Download the Word file (see link below).
