Because the star cluster can be seen all around the world from almost every single spot on Earth, and in different cultures it has lots of different names:
- The Pleiades or The Seven Sisters in Greece
- Subaru in Japan
- The six wives of the six sages in Tamil
- Seven chickens in Thailand
- Matali'l in Samoa
Matariki has always been an important time in the Māori calendar. Calendars use the Moon to set the months and the Sun to mark the seasons. Early Maori used the lunar calendar - Maramataka - to guide them in fishing and growing crops.
Matariki means ‘eyes of the god’ or ‘little eyes’. Some say that when Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, were separated by their children, the god of the winds, Tāwhirimātea, became angry, tearing out his eyes and hurling them into the heavens. Others say Matariki is the mother surrounded by her six daughters.
The Māori New Year signals a time for connecting with, and giving thanks to, the land, sea and sky. It’s also a time for the community to farewell people who have passed away and accept everything that has happened in the last year, and to look to the future and celebrate new beginnings.
Look at the night sky this month. See if you can identify the phases of the moon. On 6th June at 6:30am you may find Matariki in the dawn sky. Post a comment on what you see in the night sky.
Visit the observatory in Auckland to learn more about the stars.
