Puanga IN MOHUA

KA ARA A PUANGA-NUI-A-RANGI KI MOHUA – JUNE 2022

Tākina mai te ara o Puanganui-o-te-rangi

Tū kau Māhutonga i te mātongatonga

Pūtongamarangai ko Atutahi te whetū tarake mai i te atapō

Whāia, whāia i te muri, he tau aha te tau

Whāia, whāia i te tonga, he tau aha te tau

Whāia, whāia i te matara mai o te rā, he tau aha te tau

Whāia, whāia i te ara o te rā, he tau aha te tau

Ka hua, ka pua!

Tohia rā ngā hua o te tau. Ue hā!

Tērā Matariki/Puanga

Tērā Matariki ka rewa i te pae

Nau mai, haramai te hua o te tau hou

Tākiri ko te ata; ka pua te ata korihi te manu tino awatea

Tui , tui, tuituia ko te tangi mai o te kō, ko korimako

I te atatū, tū ka takatū

Koia rā e Rongo whakairihia ake ki runga

Tūturu whakamoua kia tina! Tina! Hui e ! Tāiki e! Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru

PUANGA WHY DO SOME IWI LOOK FOR PUANGA?

Puanga is given prominence mainly because some iwi struggle to see Matariki clearly from their locality and therefore look to the next important star near Matariki. That star is Puanga.

The rising of Puanga and Matariki has been celebrated for centuries as the new year in the Māori Stellar/ lunar calendar and for the first time was also marked with a public holiday on 27th June 2022.

This year, our Trustees decided to align our Annual General Meeting and whānau wānanga in Mohua, with the rising of Puanga and Matariki and for those that were fortunate to attend the weekend saw the rising of Puanga and Matariki in the Eastern sky in a special ceremony heralding the new year. Its significance for Ngāti Tama however, was more about the coming together of whānau, to acknowledging those who had past on the year prior, while engaging in the revival of the ceremony after decades of loss. It was truly a beautiful (but cold) morning!

Puanga is the brightest star in the Orion constellation, and for many West Coast (North Island) and South Island communities, signalled the new year and the beginning of the annual Māori lunar/ stellar calendar system. It’s seen just before the Matariki star cluster appears in the night sky around the winter solstice and shares its name with the celebrations that take place around this time of the year.

General Manager for Ngāti Tama Hēmi Sundgren said the most important thing to him during Puanga was how people might reconnect and reflect on a whole range of things important to us, ‘Puanga is a significant time, not only is it a time to reflect on the past, to plan and prepare for the future, it is a time for whanaungatanga, to reconnect, to be with others, to share and to celebrate who we are’….it is critically important for us to also reflect on how people might give back to our environment…by ensuring the health and wellbeing for the environment, we ensure the wellbeing of us a community…’

Puanga is also a time to plan for new beginnings, a chance to develop new skills and to set new goals, something to look forward to especially considering recent trying times.

This is not a rejection of Matariki as many of these iwi will still refer to Matariki and the other names in the constellation in their tribal narratives, however Puanga is given preference.

WHICH IWI CELEBRATE PUANGA?

The tribes of Whanganui, Taranaki, parts of the Far North, and parts of the South Island recognise Puanga.

WHAT IS PUANGA?

Puanga is the star Rigel and is the brightest star in the Orion constellation. Matariki is seen below Puanga and to the left of Tautoru (the three stars of Orion’s Belt) in the late autumn and early winter night sky.

The most common whakataukī that recognises the importance of Puanga is:

‘Puanga kai rau’ – ‘The abundant harvest of Puanga.’

This whakataukī connects Puanga and Matariki celebrations to the result of hard work over a number of months. It recognises the efforts of growing, harvesting, and storing food for the long nights of takurua (winter).

WHEN IS PUANGA CELEBRATED?

Puanga isn’t celebrated over one or two days, instead it is a period of approximately a month or longer with at least two months of preparation followed by two months of wānanga (learning).

The first new moon in the month of Pipiri (June-July) is the period when stars like Puanga, Matariki and Whānui (Vega) set.

This time is a chance to reflect on the past year and to remember your loved ones.

Puanga and Matariki then rises again in a fortnight in the eastern sky, this is the time to acknowledge the rising of our loved ones that have passed so that their spirits become stars and to prepare for the celebrations of the New Year.

The appropriate time to commence celebrations is based on the nights of abundance for your locality and some will recognise the nights of Rākaunui (full moon) and others, and the nights of Tangaroa – one week after full moon. This is to ensure that any food available is in abundance so that the hākari feast dedicated and celebrated in the name of Puanga is recognised appropriately.

Puanga And Gardening Activities

Puanga is also a time to prepare the māra (garden) and ensure that winter frosts will help to kill anyweeds or soil infections.

This time is likened to, and re-enacts, the creation period of Te Kore (the void/potential) and once the land has been treated, it will then go through a period of Te Pō (the night – or a time to plant). Then as the shoots of the food sprout above the soil, the plants transition into Te Ao Mārama (the world of light).