Titiro ‘Ētū – Star Peeker
Harry’s grandfather explains the significance of a family taonga, a titiro ‘ētū, associated with navigating by the stars, and Harry learns how it links to his Cook Islands cultural heritage.
About this resource
Series: Junior Journal 67 June 2024
Reading year level: 3
Topics: ancestors, Cook Islands, family, grandparents, navigation, Pacific, Rarotonga, star peeker, stars, titiro ‘ētū, tupuna, vaka, whānau
Titiro ‘Ētū – Star Peeker
Words by Maria Samuela
Harry’s grandfather explains the significance of a family taonga, a titiro ‘ētū, associated with navigating by the stars, and Harry learns how it links to his Cook Islands cultural heritage.
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More from this issue of the Junior Journal
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Junior Journal 67 Level 2 2024
Inside this Junior Journal there are four articles (Dark Skies; The Stars of Matariki; The Matariki Logo; Watching the Moon), one story (Titiro 'Ētū - Star Peeker), and one play (Star Search).
1 of 6Dark Skies
Tutepourangi Manihera-Thomson talks about his job as a guide at the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, and explains the concept of “dark skies” and their importance, particularly in mātauranga Māori.
2 of 6The Stars of Matariki
Find out about the stars that make up the Matariki constellation and their relationship to different aspects of te ao Māori.
3 of 6The Matariki Logo
In 2022, a Matariki logo, or tohu, was created to encourage people to think about what Matariki means to them and to Aotearoa New Zealand.
4 of 6Watching the Moon
In Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, the moon is often used to signal the start of a celebration, for example, Diwali – the Festival of Lights, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, and Zhong Qui Jie – the Moon Festival.
5 of 6Star Search
In this humorous play, a group of astronauts are sent to find a star that has disappeared from its constellation.
6 of 6
