September 30, 2015
Blood moon a battle scene for ancients
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The super-moon in the sky was an important tohu for the ancestors, according to a Maori astronomer.
Rangi Matamua, who is working on a Marsden Fund project to capture Maori astronomical traditions and create resources for schools, says as a voyaging culture Maori would have had a detailed knowledge of the natural world, including the impact of the big spring moons on the tides.
The blood moon, when the super-moon coincides with a lunar eclipse, was a sign of misfortune and death.
"They thought that Atua Whiro sometimes attacked the moon and the moon always fought back and won so when Whiro was unable to defeat the moon at times Whiro would attack the sun, and hence that was our ancestors' understanding of the lunar eclipse and the solar eclipse," Dr Matamua says.
As part of his Marsden project he is creating resources for schools to encourage an interest in the stars among young Maori.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH RANGI MATAAMUA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MzM2MzQ=
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