The Seven Stars of Matariki by Toni Rolleston-Cummins is an excellent resource for the home or school library. This colourfully illustrated, contemporary myth breathes life into Matariki and its celebrations, great for use in the classroom. A glossary of Maori words is included at the back of the book.
Mitai's seven elder brothers become bewitched by seven beautiful women who are not all that they seem. Mitai is the only one who can save them! And in the process the constellation of the seven stars of Matariki comes into being.
A wonderfully illustrated tale celebrating Matariki. An adventurous young man called Mitai lives with his seven handsome brothers in the village of Maketu. He watches his brothers become bewitched by seven beautiful women, and under their spell, the brothers no longer eat, look after themselves, work in their gardens or hunt. Realising the women are patupaiarehe, fairy women, he knows they must be cast far away. They are given to Urutengangana, the god of the stars, and he places the patupaiarehe in the heavens farthest from the earth. Yet once a year, at winter solstice, he allows their beauty to shine in the eastern sky.
Author: Toni Rolleston-Cummins
Illustrated by: Nikki Slade-Robinson