Decorate your home, office, business or school room with these 9 Matariki wooden stars, whetu. Matariki is a wonderful time for reflection and for planning the year ahead. Involve the whole family, your staff, or school. A great way to teach Maori culture to your children and other people.
Each star hangs from a knotted cord, so all you need to do is decide where to hang them. The stars represent 9 different stars in the Matariki (Pleiades) cluster:
1. Matariki - Matariki is the first star and 'mother' of the 8 other stars. She is connected to the good health and wellbeing of people, so if she is high up and bright in the sky, this is taken as a sign of good luck and good health to those viewing her.
2. Pohutukawa - Pohutukawa is connected to those who have passed on. When a person dies and their spirit leaves them, their spirit travels to the northern most point of New Zealand, where an ancient pohutukawa tree stands on a ledge above the ocean. From there their spirit goes to Hawaiiki. Observing this star gives you a moment to reflect on those people who have died in the past year.
3. Hiwa-i-te-rangi - known as the wishing star, Hiwa-i-te-rangi is used to set your goals or wishes for the year.
4. Waita - Waita is connected to the oceans and the animals that live in them. It represents food gathered from the sea.
5. Ururangi - the winds of the sky. Observing Ururangi is a way to forecast wind action for the year ahead.
6. Waipunarangi - or Waipuna-a-rangi, means water that pools in the sky, in other words, the rain.
7. Waiti - (the twin of Waita) is connected to fresh water and the animals that live in it. So the creatures living in our streams, rivers and lakes.
8. Tupuanuku - this star is associated with the food grown in the ground, particularly our winter crops. It reminds us to sow our winter crops before winter arrives.
9. Tupuarangi - this star is associated with food from the sky, so includes birds, as well as foods that can grow up high, like berries and other fruits.
Each of the wooden stars measures approximately 9.9cm x 9cm (3 3/4' x 3 3/8'). They were designed by NZ Maori illustrator Isobel Te Aho-White (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Kahungunu ki te Wairoa).
Shipped worldwide from New Zealand.
