Te Whanau Raukura Performance

 

This week a special performance was held by Te Whanau Raukura who performs at Auckland Museum, who had peformed Maori cultural dances and elements of the Maori culture. To know that the visitors have arrived they blew into a shell, which is what Maori people used to do. As they came in the hall they had spoken a whaikorero. As they made their way onto the stage they performed their dances. As they performed they introduced traditional Maori items. Firstly they showed us the poi, which was used to increase their hand and arm strength and flexibility. A woman had swung four poi, which had amazed me. Nextly they showed us the te rakau, which was used to increase their skill in performing tasks. This item also amazed me too. Lastly they showed us the taiaha, which was used to attack or stab their enemies when, in war, to protect themselves. Something I found interesting about this performance, was how they showed the meaning behind each of these elements. After the performance, they did a pukana. When the performance ended, Bekah, from Te Whanau Raukura came into our class and taught us how to play Pukana. This was a really fun game, as we all enjoyed it. Overall this was a really fun time, watching the performance and learning a new game.