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Wednesday, June 24, 2020

maramataka

Lunar calendar

Nights in the maramataka | the Maori lunar month. The Maori lunar calendar is called the Maramataka, which literally means the turning of the moon. It marks the phases of the moon in a lunar month.

The maramataka was an important marker of time for our tūpuna, as it provided information on the best times of the day, month and year for certain activities. As a lunar calendar, the maramataka followed the phases of the moon throughout the month – each day with a different name, holding different information.

Maramataka differ depending on the environment of the iwi/ hapu who is following it. There are many similarities, in names, phases and practices. There are over 400 maramataka recorded to date.

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1 comment:

  1. JaneJune 25, 2020 at 6:05 PM

    Wow Dom, that’s very interesting, I’ve learnt something today, thank you. It’s interesting how different cultures marked time using the Lunar cycle. Do you think our Māori ancestors were more sophisticated then we gave them credit for?

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