Section outline

  • TOPIC 2: MIHIMIHI                                  Time frame: 5 weeks, 10 lessons


    Tikanga Māori - Inoi / Karakia/ Mihimihi/ Waiata tautoko

    In Te Ao Māori karakia are ritual chants invoking spiritual guidance and protection. They are performed in every aspect of life. For example: welcoming the dawn and farewelling the day, to ensure a safe journey, blessing food, carving a wharenui etc. With the introduction of Christianity to New Zealand in the 19th Century, new karakia were written to acknowledge the Christian God and Jesus Christ.


    Similarly in most gatherings (hui) it is customary for a person to welcome everyone that is attending by performing a mihi whakatau. Following the mihi a waiata is sung in support of the person who welcomed everyone. In class this year all students will learn waiata and how to give a mihi whakatau.


    Achievement Objectives:

    1.4 communicate about personal information, such as name, parents’ and grandparents’ names, iwi, hapū, mountain and river, or home town and place of family origin

    1.5 communicate about location

    1.6 understand and use simple polite conventions, for example, ways of acknowledging people, expressing regret and complimenting people

    3.1 communicate, including comparing and contrasting, about habits, routines and customs

    Activity:

    In following tikanga Māori, at the beginning and end of each class, everyone will stand and recite the karakia together. To begin with, students will repeat each line of the karakia after the teacher until they are able to remember the words and perform it comfortably on their own.

    Following the karakia timatanga, a class member will stand and perform a mihi whakatau to welcome everyone to class. This will be followed by a waiata tautoko performed by the whole class.


    Success Criteria

    By the end of the unit you should be able to:

    • describe the when mihi usually occurs

    • describe the common speaking order

    • name the things/people that get acknowledged in a mihi

    • know what a pepeha is and be familiar with either their own or the school pepeha

    • know what a pepeha is and be familiar with either their own or the school pepeha

    • know a range of standard acknowledgements 

    KUPU:

    mihi                 acknowledgement   tikanga            custom

    hunga mate     the deceased          hunga ora        the living

    pepeha            tribal saying             maunga           mountain     

    awa                  river                           iwi                   tribe                             

    kōrua               you (2)                       hoa mahi         work mates

    koutou             you (2+)                    whāea             mother, aunt, polite term for older woman 

    matua              polite term for older man