Tahu and the Dancing Feathers
This story is set in a kāinga beside an estuary in the 1880s. Tahu longs to help weave a new sail for the fishing waka.
About this resource
Series: Connected
Tahu and the Dancing Feathers
Words by André Ngāpō
Illustrations by Hemi-Morehouse
In this historical story, Tahu longs to help weave a new sail for a fishing waka. As he grapples with the monotony of slicing hundreds of feathers for the sail, he is captured by the beauty and skill of the weavers’ work. However, when the sail is used, Tahu discovers the significance of his mahi, with the feathers used to show the direction of the wind.
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Connected Level 2 2024 - Woven Taonga
This Level 2 Connected resource explores themes of mātauranga Māori, navigation, technology, and taonga. All three texts explore the weaving skills required to create a traditional Māori sail.
1 of 3Te Rā – The Last of Its Kind
This interview discusses the significance of Te Rā, a Māori sail used for travelling the awa and moana around Aotearoa.
2 of 3Taki tahi – Over one under one
This poem is about a group of weavers skilfully working together to create a sail. As they weave, they talk about a range of things from MasterChef to Māui.
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