Knowledge and the Animate Universe
In a recent webinar hosted by the Science Learning Hub, Yvonne Taura, a kairangahau Māori who collaborated on creating repo resources, discussed Mātauranga Māori and its application to the Living World strand. The session, which was in te reo Pākehā and of interest to teachers of all levels, was an edited recording of the webinar Mātauranga and the Living World.
The webinar featured a slideshow that provides additional support for the video tutorial. The slideshow includes sections on Introducing the Science Learning Hub, Mātauranga on the Hub, Whakapapa, Kaitiakitanga, Harakeke, Rongoā, Ngā Hekeheka/Fungi, Ahi Pepe/Mothnet, SLH links, and thanks. The slideshow is downloadable (20 MB) and can be used for teaching purposes related to mātauranga resources related to the Living World.
The Science Learning Hub has a growing collection of articles, activities, and interactives related to mātai koiora/biology. In addition to the resources showcased in the webinar, the Hub also offers a wealth of information on the rocky shore, life cycles, and insects. For resources that focus specifically on fungi, moths, and rongoā in te reo Māori, contacting Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga or consulting Te Ara are recommended starting points.
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga is Aotearoa’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence, hosting a broad network of Māori researchers and projects that likely cover traditional knowledge and biological topics including rongoā and native species. They can be contacted for specific research inquiries. Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand provides detailed information on Māori traditional uses of native plants, which would be relevant to rongoā and potentially fungal species knowledge. It includes well-curated content available in te reo Māori as well.
Other resources in te reo Māori related to the Living World and incorporating Mātauranga Māori into teaching can be found through several key platforms and institutions. The Māori Language and Culture resources hosted by educational institutions (like Unitec) offer collections including historic publications and language resources, some of which cover mātauranga traditional knowledge categories. The Ministry for the Environment provides environmental education resources and actively incorporates te ao Māori perspectives, which may include culturally grounded knowledge about fungi, moths, and rongoā plants in Aotearoa.
For those seeking targeted educational resources specifically about fungi, moths, and rongoā in te reo Māori, iwi and hapū tribal authorities often hold and share mātauranga on these subjects, and collaborating with them aligns with best practices for culturally grounded education in Aotearoa. Additionally, the emerging AI-powered te reo Māori pronunciation tool led by Māori language experts will support learners and teachers in confidently pronouncing Māori terms, which could be highly useful when teaching topics like ngā hekaheka, ngā pepe, and rongoā in te reo.
The Science Learning Hub would like to thank Yvonne Taura for her contribution to this webinar. To learn more about Mātauranga Māori in Education, watch the Education Hub webinar recording with Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Puhi) from 2023. For additional resources in the Mātauranga Māori topic on the Science Learning Hub, explore further. To read an article by Dr Georgina Stewart on this topic, visit this link: https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v19i2.359. Other related recorded webinars include Mātauranga Māori, Opportunities for using te reo Māori, Te Repo - wetlands as a context for learning, Whakanui pūtaiao, Tame Malcolm - indigenous pest management, Kaitiakitanga with Tame Malcolm, Te Kāhui o Matariki and the environment, Animals of Aotearoa, and Mātauranga Māori in Education.
- The Science Learning Hub offers a range of resources related to health-and-wellness, such as articles, activities, and interactives on rongoā (Maori traditional medicine), which can be used for lifelong learning and education-and-self-development purposes.
- For those interested in fitness-and-exercise, the slideshow from the Science Learning Hub webinar provides support for the video tutorial and includes sections on Kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment) and native plants known as Harakeke (flax).
- Mental health is an important aspect of overall wellness, and the Science Learning Hub's resources encompass this by offering information on traditional knowledge and biological topics, like fungi (Ngā Hekeheka) and moths (Ahi Pepe).
- In addition to the Science Learning Hub, online education platforms like Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and Te Ara offer detailed information on the traditional uses of native plants, potentially extending learning opportunities to nutrition and furthering one's understanding of these topics.
