Scientific knowledge & Māori knowledge about mussel biology
A level 5–6 teaching activity that explores how Māori traditions and Western science can work together to preserve populations that may be at risk.
About this resource
Living things need the right conditions to reproduce successfully and maintain sustainable levels. Māori traditions and Western science can work together to preserve populations that may be at risk.
Scientific knowledge and Māori knowledge about mussel biology
Levels: 5-6
Nature of science achievement aims: Understanding about science, participation and contributing
Contextual strands: Living world
Topic: Rocky shore
See Materials that come with this resource to download:
- Life cycle of a muscle (.pdf
- Consequence map (.pdf)
Learning activity
- Access to information about:
- rahui (resource bans)
- the life cycle of the mussel.
Rahui: ban or prohibition on collecting resources; harvest ban. When a rahui is placed on a river, lake, forest, or harbour, people are banned from using some resources. For example, a rahui might ban people gathering shellfish from a beach for various reasons. Many Māori tribes use the practice of rahui to conserve or replenish a resource.
See Materials that come with this resource to download the supporting activity resources:
- Consequence map (.pdf)
- Life cycle of a mussel (.pdf)
- What is a rahui? What do we know about it?
- How would a rahui help the survival of green-lipped mussels?
- Why do we need to preserve natural resources?
- What conditions are needed to keep species surviving?
- What happens to natural resources that are not protected?
- Where do traditional ideas and customs related to the preservation of a natural resource come from?
- Where do science ideas and practices related to the preservation of a natural resource come from? What is the same, and what is different, about these two types of knowledge?
- Can traditional knowledge and science knowledge work together?
- Get students to prepare for their investigation into rahui and mussels by undertaking background research. For example, they could:
- investigate reasons for imposing rahui
- use kōrero/interviews with people involved in imposing rahui
- research web resources.
- Get students to use their research to create a Consequence map (.pdf) of the positive and negative outcomes of placing a rāhui.
- In what ways can traditional Māori knowledge about the organisms living in an ecosystem help scientists understand that ecosystem?
- Where or how could you find out about traditional Māori knowledge?
- Where or how could you find out about scientific knowledge?
- How can these knowledge systems support and enhance each other?
- How might overharvesting of one or more living member(s) of an organism affect the balance of the whole ecosystem?
- How can we find out about the state of balance within an ecosystem?