Knowing our rivers

Lessons

To introduce the topics of rivers, the tamariki can read the story of Te Tai o Poutini who was the kaitiaki of the mauri of pounamu https://www.wcdhb.health.nz/about-us/west-coast-legend-poutini/ or a kaitiaki of their own area.

Inquiry question - How is our river?

Wānanga 1

He tīmatanga

This is a research topic. Please see the assessment activities that the children can use to show their understanding of their learning from their research. The teacher will divide students into groups. The main objective of this unit is to carefully investigate and research about old aspects of the river, and new aspect of the river.

Here are some topics they can research

Name

• Where is the name of our river from?
  
• Does the river only have one name? or do different areas have different names?
  
• To research names of streams, swamps and lakes that are connected to the river
  
• Names of the catchment area - Find where these names came from
  
• Name of the source of the river
  
• Names of things that live in the river
  
• Names of lands that are divided by the river
  
• Names of whanau, hapū and iwi living along the sides of the river.
  

Food

• What types of food are found in the river?
  
• What tikanga should we follow when collecting food? i.e. Karakia, going to right places, collecting at right time, koha, warnings
  
• Are the foods that our tūpuna ate from the river, still available to eat today?
  
  • Q. If they are not alive is it possible to bring them back?
    
• Gain the understanding of the lifecycle of the different types of food in the river
  
• When are the right times to collect the different types of food?
  
• What are the different methods for collecting these foods?
  
• How did our ancestors preserve these foods?
  

Resources

• What types of resources were collected by whānau, hapū, iwi from the river?
  
• How were they collected?
  
• What were the tikanga of collecting these resources? i.e karakia, correct time and place, koha, warnings
  
• What were these resources used for? (weaving, making fishing lines etc)
  
• Where are the best places to collect these resources from along the river?
  
• Do they have a spiritual or physical kaitiaki?
  

Road

• How did our tūpuna use the river for transport?
  
• What types of waka was used?
  
• How were those waka carved or made?
  
• Which type of wood is the best to use to carve a waka?
  
• What are the tikanga for carving a waka?
  
• Are fishing waka different to travelling waka?
  
• How do we read the river to navigate safely?
  
• The different names of currents, the eddies, and signs for navigations
  
• When are the best times to travel the river?
  
• Who are the people and groups that are traveling the river now?

Kaitiaki

• Who are the traditional guardians?
  
• What are some of the stories handed down about some of these kaitiaki?
  
• Who looks after the river now? i.e. iwi, rūnanga, DOC.

Assessment

• Prepare a play
• Hui ā iwi to present their findings
• Prepare a speech or report to put forward to the marae annual meeting
• Send a report to the iwi authority, or the rōpū who looks after the river now
• Prepare a trip along the river (learn about the places and stories of the river)
• Mural on the school walls or a building of the community
• Compose a song, lament, chant, action song, haka or poem
• A picture of their findings
• Create an on-going relationship with other groups (scientific, land care or water care)
• Prepare a movie.