Ratu at Te Papa | by Tama

Wow! I didn't know you could take a look, a peek inside, taking time back, seeing what they saw, like mice with thousands of eyes staring down at us, daring, ready to make sure we didn't steal what was theirs.

Waddling away, staring at the empty white eyes, I gulp thinking, a mouse, a cat, a target.

My name is Tama. I gulp again, trying not to stare. I move out of the pataka (storage house). I know it's Tuesday but it feels like Ratu. I sit down thinking and start drawing. I wonder why everybody else is so calm. Suddenly I'm worrying. I look behind me and I see a bunch of tourists. I turn back around but my gut and my instinct are still worrying and then I realise that the class is going to the marae.

I run ahead to keep up with the class and go to the marae.

     "OK class, I-- blah blah blah..."
I start to fall asleep.
     "Tama?!"
     "What did I say?"
     "Um," I say, suddenly jerked to life.
     "You must've been off to fairyland."
     "I guess so, yeah."
     "Start drawing!"
I start drawing. I'm only halfway through when the teacher says to the class:
     "Lunchtime!"
     "Yay!" all the kids say.

After lunch we go back to school and then go home.

When we get back to school I say to Grandad, "can we go to Te Papa?"
     "Um," says Grandad.

Laying down the hangi at Tapu Te Ranga Marae

Tomorrow we're laying down the hangi at Tapu Te Ranga Marae.  Some of us will prepare the fire while others prepare vegetables. It'll be cool to see how our local marae is different from the wharenui we saw at Te Papa last week.

Reminder for parents: we are meeting at the marae (not at school) at 8.55am tomorrow, then walking back to school after lunch, so you can pick up your kids as usual from school at 3pm.

Here we are sketching the wharenui at Te Papa last week:

Te Marae o Te Papa Tongarewa

Tomorrow we're going on a school trip to the different marae at Te Papa.  Today we read some articles about the parts of the marae.  We learnt that wharenui represent the body of our ancestors.

Here are some of the new words we've learnt:

tekoteko   carving of an ancestor on the top of the wharenui

kōruru       face of the ancestor

maihi         arms of the wharenui

raparapa   hands of the wharenui

pare           carved slab over the door

whatitoka doorway

poupou     support post

amo            side support post

tahuhu      ridge pole

whakairo  carving

heke           rafters/ ribs

wharenui  meeting house

manawa    heart 

Here are the marae diagrams we chose together as great examples to put on the blog:

 By Noah

By Luca

 By Jet

By Francesca

Later this term (on the 4th of April) we are having a noho marae at Pipitea marae. Maybe you could come?!

~ M13