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June 16, 2025
Māori navigators and tohunga were reading the stars to guide their waka
Waatea Team
Posted On June 16, 2025
Download AudioDr Pauline Harris (Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakaipaka and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) Dr Harris is SfTI’s Associate Vision Mātauranga Theme Leader and Senior lecturer at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Long before telescopes or modern science, , mark the seasons, and maintain harmony between the heavens and the earth. Māori astronomy, or tātai arorangi, is a rich, sophisticated body of ancestral knowledge that links celestial movements with cultural practices, agriculture, navigation, and spirituality.
Today, Māori astronomy is undergoing a powerful revival, inspiring new generations to reconnect with traditional knowledge and reassert the role of te ao Māori in science, education, and national identity.
Māori astronomy is not simply stargazing-it is an interwoven system of observation, oral history, whakapapa (genealogy), and environmental science. The stars, moon, sun, and planets were read in conjunction with earthly signs to predict weather, guide planting and harvesting, and determine the timing of ceremonies.
Central to this system is Matariki, the rising of the Pleiades star cluster in mid-winter, which marks the Māori New Year. For many iwi, Matariki signals a time to honour the dead, reflect on the past, and plan for the seasons ahead. Others observe the star Puanga (Rigel) in a similar role, particularly in the west and the south.
Each star or celestial body has a name, a story, and a function. Some of the key celestial figures include:
- Tamanui-te-rā – the sun, whose daily journey is foundational to Māori understanding of time and space.
- Marama – the moon, whose phases influence fishing, planting, and spiritual activities.
- Whānau Mārama – the collective name for the sun, moon, and stars.
- Rēhua, Tautoru, Takurua, and Autahi – stars whose seasonal appearance informed kai gathering and seasonal rituals.
Perhaps the most famous application of Māori astronomy was in oceanic navigation. Polynesian ancestors of Māori used star paths (called arorangi), wave patterns, bird migration, and cloud formations to guide their journeys across thousands of kilometres of open ocean. The waka hourua (double-hulled canoes) that reached Aotearoa were navigated using this celestial knowledge, passed down through generations.
This practice, known across the Pacific as wayfinding, has seen a resurgence in modern times, with waka like Te Aurere and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti completing voyages across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa using traditional navigation methods-without modern instruments.
The revival of tātai arorangi has grown alongside the resurgence of te reo Māori and traditional practices. Matariki was formally recognised as a public holiday in 2022, a significant milestone that elevated Māori cosmology to national importance.
Māori astronomers such as Dr Rangi Mātāmua, a leading figure in the revival of tātai arorangi, have helped restore public understanding of Māori celestial traditions. His work emphasises that Māori science and observation are as valid and rigorous as Western astronomy-just differently framed through whakapapa and tikanga.
Schools across the country are now integrating Māori astronomy into the curriculum, teaching tamariki the names of stars, the stories of the sky, and how Māori used them to survive and thrive.
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