Waka Huia

Today Pearl asked to make something from the book, Māori Art For Kids, by Julie Noanoa and Norm Heke.

She chose to make a Waka Hui. Together we read the description of what a Huia Box was and why it is important in Māori culture. Traditionally it was reserved for rangatira (chiefs) to keep their toanga (treasure).  But the purpose of the box has evolved over time where more common people can also hold their treasures. We also talked about the Huia bird and I got a sense of what she knew about them. She knew they were extinct and that rats and stotes were a culprit.

She then read the instructions and followed them to make her own little treasure box. She traced the template and cut out the box.

She then painted the box and cut out sponge shapes to decorate it.

After assembling the box, Pearl and Orion used the 12 Huia Birds App (https://www.yoozoo.nz/12huiabirds) which is an interactive picture book App about the demise of the Huia Bird. I reccomend  it for children and adults to get a general understanding of this subject. What worked out perfectly was that there was a section about the Waka Huia. Pearl spotted it and recalled what she had learnt prior about it.

After using the app, Pearl and her brother Orion, recalled all of the factors that resulted in the Huia's extinction. This is the list that they came up with:

• Rats
• Cats
• Dogs
• Stotes and weasels
• Hunters
• Putting them in cages
• Fashion
• Māori saw the feathers as prized

Afterward, I read the story, Taniwha by Robyn Kahukiwa. This was a beautiful story about a little boy who befriended a taniwha in the river. In the end the taniwha gave the boy gifts which were a stone, feather, and soil. They represented Māori god's Tangaroa and Papatuanuku, as well as Ranginui. The final illustration was of the boy holding his treasures in a special box. Here we discussed how the boy's box could be considered a waka huia, as recalled that the contemporary use has changed.

We then listened to RNZ's recording of a man's Huia bird call. He was one of the last people to hear the Huia bird before it's extinction.

When the lesson  was finished, Pearl found a Magpie feather and placed it in her waka huia. This is signifigant as the feather was black and white like that of a Huia Bird.

This lesson's learning areas were in English and the Arts of the NZ Curriculum. It upheld the Principle of Te Titirit o Waitangi by giving Pearl the opportunity to learn some  basic te reo vocab and Tikanga Māori. Pearl used Languag Symbols and Texts to explore these ideas, including digital technology. Next steps may be to get her to write about the Waka Huia or the extinction of the Huia Bird, or do another art activity from the Māori Art for Kids book. We may follow Pearl's interests about birds and learn more about local conservation for endangered birds in our local area as well.