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How Matariki was formed

How Matariki was formed

In this clip, Pou Temara of Ngāi Tuhoe relates a legend of the formation of the Matariki star cluster. Tāwhirimātea, the atua (divine presence) of the winds and elements, wages war against his older brothers because they had separated their parents, Ranginui (the sky) and Papatūānuku (the earth). In his anger, he tore out his eyes and flung them into the heavens: one meaning of Matariki is ‘little eyes’.

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