This year Matariki provided a good opportunity for us to explore themes of looking back and looking forward with the classes from Kahutara and Martinborough primary schools who are involved in our Te Reo o te Wai education project. As always we began the sessions with sitting still and storytelling by the river. This was followed up with making ‘land art’ galaxies and star clusters. We finished the morning by contributing to the future by planting native trees along the Waihinga Bridge Walkway that we are developing on the riparian edge of the farm.
Big thanks to Mary Acton Adams and her partner Stuart Dunbar who prepared the ground and supported the planting along with volunteers from Palliser Estate vineyard. Here is a field account of what Mary experienced on one these Matariki Field Trip mornings.
“We took Mrs Hooper’s, room three class of 20 children from Kahutara primary school to the river for galaxy artwork on the rock strewn river bed, then up onto the riparian edge for at least an hour of tree planting. It was so much fun and rich in meaning for us all. A variety of natives were already laid out on the flattened spaces Jane and Stuart had made. The kids had spades, they dug holes. I only had to replant three or four that weren’t planted deep enough. The tamariki could do it how they pleased. After the initial instructions about planting trees no one told them what to do. Some worked as two’s, others on their own, others more closely to adults; a parent, a couple of helpers. Their school bags were all stashed by the fence alongside the tree planting clobber. It was beautifully unrestricted and uncontrolled, yet adults were there in case someone felt overwhelmed with the space, the sunshine, and freedom of it all.
Earlier that morning we had all gathered under the tree by the river, as, first of all, Jane told the Matariki story, helped out by one of the kids (in fact new to the class) who knew the story well and the names of all the Atua. Then Rod talked about the scientific story of the beginnings of the universe. He had an amazing pop out big bang book, where the red tongues popped out unexpectedly. Words like interstellar, the star cluster Matariki (Pleiades), constellations and galaxies floated out over the river.”
For more about RFF’s Deep Time Journey education work in the Wairarapa see here.