June 12, 2019
New virtual reality for old stories
One of the backers of a new resource offering Rangitāne language and history says it feeds into a growing desire by tamariki for iwi narratives.
Manawatū is an augmented reality graphic novel aimed at putting a local twist to the learning of te reo Māori.
Project team member Meihana Durie from Massey Unversity's Te Pūtahi-a-Toi School of Māori Knowledge says a generation ago most transmission of tribal knowledge was through wānanga, but young people today expect a tech option.
"We don't rely entirely on technology but we try to manipulate technology in such a way it is going to ensure our young people can engage in not only in the stories about our rohe, the mauri of the water and the whenua and so on, but also so they can find ways of reaffirming their identity as descendants of Rangitāne," Professor Durie says.
While Manawatū was designed for kura and Māori medium schools, the Ministry of Education has also commissioned an English version for mainstream schools.
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