Myths+and+Legends

[|Māori Myths and Legends] This is a collection of well known stories based on Māori oral traditions, stories which have been handed down through the generations. Among them are myths and legends about Maui, Tāwhirimatea, and tribal stories. The stories can be read in either English or Māori. [|A Trilogy of Wahine Toa] This creation myth is told from the perspective of three important female figures. Paptūānuku describes her separation and the role some of her children played in this painful experience. Hineahuone, the first woman and the creator of people, acknowledges her origins and her role as first to experience the world. Hinenuitepō, daughter of Hineahuone and guardian of the spirit receives all those who pass from the physical world to the next. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Awarua] This is a myth about how Awarua, the taniwha of Porirua, learnt to fly. Rereroa the albatross, one of Awarua's closest friends, coached the taniwha through the highs and lows of learning a completely new skill. To this day the results of Awarua's flying antics can be seen in the landscape around the Porirua harbour. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Hinewhaitiri] This is a myth about Hinewhaitiri, the girl of thunder, whose friends are the sky children. They all participate in the hui marangai, the seasonal storms which devastate a small village below. One day Hinewhaitiri realises the destruction the hui marangai are having on the village and decides to do something about it. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|How Māui brought fire to the world] Māui was curious about where fire came from and extingushed all the fires in the village. In the morning Māui voluntereed to visit the goddess Mahuika to get some more fire. Māui tricks her into giving away all her fire. Māui narrowly escapes her rage and discovers how to make fire without Mahuika’s help. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|How Māui slowed the sun] This is a myth about how Māui slowed the sun because there was not enough time in the day to do all the chores. With the help of his brothers and his gift of a magic jawbone, Māui and his brothers trapped the sun. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Māui and the giant fish] This is a myth about how young Māui wanted to go fishing with his older brothers. To prove he was worthy he used a jawbone his ancestor Murirangawhenua gave him as a fish hook. He hid on the waka and when discovered by his brothers he taught them how to fish properly. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Kawariki and the shark man] This is a myth of Tutira, the shark man, who was in love with Kawariki, the daughter of a powerful tohunga called Matakite. Their love was forbidden, but they found a way to be together. When Matakite found them he put a spell on Tutira which turned him into a shark. Through the power of love and Hinemoana the lovers are eventually united showing that love conquers all. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Kupe and the Giant Wheke] Kupe and his whānau lived in Hawiiki, while fishing they couldn’t understand why their bait vanished. Kupe asks Muturangi for an explanation but they argue and Kupe threatens to kill Muturangi’s pet octopus. This leads to a chase across the Pacific and to the discovery of Aotearoa. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Tūrehu] In this myth Aunty describes how as a child she lived from the land and the sea. One day Aunty and her friends found mysterious hoof prints in the sand and a fishing net had been mysteriously repaired. Desparate to solve the puzzle the children camp out one night and discover that the hoof prints belong to the Tūrehu, the fairy people. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Whaitere - The Enchanted Stingray] This is a myth about Whaitere, a stingray whose parents disappear. With the help of Hinemoana, Whaitere is taken to the underworld to find her parents. Her mother explains how Whaitere has been chosen as a guardian and teach others respect for the sea. When Whaitere returns to the bay she must live by her word. This online publication can be read in English or Māori and includes ready-to-use student activities and teacher resources aimed at Māori literacy levels 3 and 4. [|Myths and Legends - The Cicada and the Ant] In this dance unit from Arts Online, intended for years 1-2, students explore moving directly and indirectly through landscape/air pathways, as ants and cicadas. Intended for years 1-2. [|Myths and Legends] In this level 2-3 unit intended for year 5-6, students explore the origins of myths and legends and explain their features relating to subject, purpose and audience. Includes a focus on Aboriginal myths and legends to explain natural phenomena