‘Maori Day’ For Schools

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30919, 27 November 1965, Page 19

‘Maori Day’ For Schools

A day in the life of a Maori pa will be simulated at the Hororata School next Wednesday, when about 200 children from four widespread schools take part in the most complete “Maori day” ever held in the Canterbury Education Board’s district. It will be the culmination of a year’s work in Maori arts, crafts, and social studies and another stage in a programme which has been developing for five years.

About 1960, the Education Department brought out a handsome handbook on Maori arts and crafts and announced a concerted policy to preserve and extend them and to foster their appreciation. Since then Maori topics have increasingly become a regular part of the school curriculum in art, craft, music, and social studies. A leader in this work has been Miss Catherine Brown, adviser in art and craft in Christchurch, who has a special interest in the Maori people. She has travelled widely, assisting teachers in this work, has supervised many training courses, and has encouraged schools in many districts to hold “Maori days.” Hororata had done more than any other school in Canterbury to develop these activities, Miss Brown said. She expects next Wednesday’s display to excel anything else of its kind in New Zealand. She gives ail credit to Mr lan Smith, the headmaster. FOUR SCHOOLS

About 110 children from upper classes at Hororata, about 42 from Fendalton, about 15 from Totara Flat (West Coast) and about a dozen from Tuahiwi Pa will

assemble at Hororata for the day, all in Maori dress made by themselves in correct detail.

A permanent pa has been formed at the Hororata School over the last few years. It has a carved meeting house, a food store on a high post, a look-out tower, and an elaborate palisade with carved posts. Inside are two more tall carved posts, representing water gods. ADEPT AT CRAFTS

Hororata children have become adept at flax weaving, wood carving, tuku tuku (weaving reed panels), kete (kit bag) making, fish-net making, string and stick games, and other Maori arts and crafts. As the home tribe next Wednesday they will be engaging in all these activities about 10 a.m. when a lookout spies approaching strangers. A scout will go out to give a challenge- When he confirms they are friends from Fendalton there will be songs, speeches, and hakas of welcome. A little later Tuahiwi and Totara flat parties will receive a similar challenge and a welcome with a different set of items. FOOD FOR HANGI The visitors will have brought traditional gifts of food which the children will put into a previously heated hangi—meats, vegetables, fruits, and even eels. While the meal is cooking in Maori fashion, the tribes will entertain each other with action songs, stick and hand games, pois and hakas with very few repeat items. Warriors and wahines will eat the food with sprigs of watercress.

In the afternoon the children, with only light supervision by teachers, will compare their crafts in carving, weaving, and building. Some impromptu exchange lessons are expected.

An officer of the Canterbury Museum will describe

Maori associations and artifacts of the area and to wind up there will be massed songs and hakas and chants of farewell. NO SPECTATORS Everyone present will be a participant. Would not such an elaborate programme be worthy of a big audience from other schools? Miss Brown was asked.

“Yes and No,” she replied. The whole point of the exercise was to have everyone participating so that they would get the true feel of Maori life. With an audience it would be jiist another show, instructive as that might be. Many schools did this work and many held Maori days. If there was local enthusiasm any and every school could organise its own effort.