A traditional Māori star compass built to teach the next generation how to read the skies and live by the stars has been unveiled at a Ngāti Rangi kura in Ohakune.
The whana tongitongi Te Tatau o Rongonui, a traditional star compass or kāpehu whetū used across Polynesia as a forecasting and navigation tool, was opened at dawn on Thursday at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Rangi.
The project was led by Ngāti Rangi celestial researchers Riwaru Tihema and Rauroha Brown and designed according to traditional Ngāti Rangi narratives and astronomical knowledge.
“To be honest, I’m absolutely overwhelmed,” Brown said after the dawn ceremony.
“We built this kāpehu whetū, this whana tongitongi, at the kura so we could teach the next generation of astronomers. It creates another inside-outside classroom environment and why not be out in the elements, in the taiao?”
