For Māori, the rising of Matariki signals the Māori New Year or Te Mātahi o te Tau. The appearance of Matariki in the morning sky during midwinter is a sign for people to gather, honor the dead, celebrate the present, and plan the future.
Be seen with this lovely collectiable Matariki Embroidery Tote.
Hiwa-i-te-Rangi (yellow) Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is the star to which our dreams and aspirations are connected too. Māori would send their dreams and desires for the year in the hope that they would be realized. This tradition is like wishing upon a star, or a New Year’s resolution.
Matariki (white) Matariki signifies reflection, hope, the gathering of people, and our connection to the environment. Matariki is also connected to the health and well-being of people. She is widely known as the mother of the eight stars that make up the cluster of Matariki. She is tasked with supporting, watching over, and encouraging her children.
Pōhutukawa (red) Pōhutukawa connects us to our loved ones that have passed on. Pōhutukawa is the whetū that connects Matariki to the deceased and it is the reason why people would cry out the names of the dead when Matariki is seen rising in the early morning.
Tipuānuku (brown) The star Tipuānuku determines the bounty of cultivated foods such as kūmara. The name Tipuānuku means to grow in the ground.
Tipuārangi (green) Tipuārangi is linked to birds and other elevated foods such as fruits and berries from trees.
Ururangi (grey) Ururangi connects us to the different winds and this whetū determines the nature of these winds.
Waipunarangi (purple) Waipunarangi is associated with the various forms of rain that we experience throughout the year as it falls from the sky and washes over the earth, nourishing all living things.
Waitā (dark blue) Waitā is associated with the ocean and all life within this domain.
Waitī (light blue) Waitī is associated with all freshwater bodies and the food sources that are sustained by those waters.