Cultural Narratives and Legends

Overview

This is lesson 4 of 6 in Discovering the Pink and White Terraces. Students explore Māori narratives connected with Rotomahana and the Pink and White Terraces, considering how oral traditions express whakapapa, place, identity and spiritual relationships with the natural world. Emphasise that iwi and hapū may hold different accounts and that these stories should be treated with respect.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify features of a pūrākau, legend or oral tradition.
• WALT describe how Māori narratives connect people, place and the spiritual world.
• WALT explain why the Pink and White Terraces were significant to local Māori communities.
• WALT compare a cultural narrative with a historical account without treating one as more important than the other.

Success criteria

• I can retell key ideas from a narrative about Rotomahana.
• I can identify a connection between the story, the land and Māori values.
• I can use respectful language when discussing Māori knowledge and beliefs.
• I can explain that narratives can communicate identity, meaning and relationships with place.

Curriculum links

• Understanding how people organise themselves and how culture, identity and belonging shape communities.
• Understanding how people interact with and are influenced by natural and cultural environments.
• Developing knowledge of Aotearoa New Zealand histories, including Māori relationships with whenua, whakapapa and significant places.
• Communicating ideas, listening to others and participating responsibly in collaborative inquiry.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Reconnect and provoke curiosity Open with the hook image and opening question. Display an image or artistic reconstruction of the terraces and ask: “What might this place mean to the people who belong to it?” Students think, pair-share, then contribute ideas. Clarify that today’s focus is not simply what the terraces looked like, but what they meant.

2. 5–12 minutes – Introduce pūrākau and cultural narratives Use the pūrākau and cultural meaning slides to explain that pūrākau are Māori narratives that can carry knowledge about ancestors, places, values and relationships. Explain that oral traditions are not merely entertainment or “old stories”; they may hold spiritual, cultural and historical meaning. State that accounts connected with Rotomahana can vary between iwi and hapū, so the class will avoid claiming there is only one correct version.

3. 12–25 minutes – Shared reading and listening Read aloud a carefully selected, age-appropriate account connected with Rotomahana and the terraces, using the narrative included in the adapted narrative slide. Pause to clarify unfamiliar words and invite students to notice people, place, natural features, spiritual ideas and values. Do not ask students to imitate sacred practices or retell the narrative as if it is their own whakapapa. Place students in six groups of five and distribute the group role cards. Assign roles such as reader, discussion leader, recorder, reporter and timekeeper. Each group identifies three important ideas from the narrative.

4. 25–34 minutes – Narrative meaning investigation Distribute the cultural narrative investigation sheet. Students work in groups to answer: What place is important? Who or what is connected to it? What does the narrative suggest people should respect or remember? How is the natural environment part of the meaning? Encourage Year 4 students to draw and use sentence starters; Year 5–6 students should support answers with details from the narrative.

5. 34–40 minutes – Share and compare perspectives Groups share one idea. Record responses under the headings place, people and ancestors, nature, spiritual meaning and values. Use the discussion and comparison slides to distinguish between a cultural narrative and a historical account: both can help us understand the past, but they may answer different questions and use different ways of knowing. Invite students to say, “This narrative shows…” rather than “This proves…”

6. 40–45 minutes – Individual reflection and formative check Students complete the final section of the reflection questions independently: “One connection between the terraces and Māori identity was…” and “One respectful question I still have is…” Invite two or three volunteers to share. Preview lesson 5, which will investigate the 1886 eruption and its effects on the terraces and surrounding communities.

Resources

• the Cultural Narratives and Legends slide deck
• the cultural narrative investigation sheet
• the group role cards
• Image or artistic reconstruction of the Pink and White Terraces
• Whiteboard and markers
• One carefully selected, culturally appropriate narrative about Rotomahana
• Access to a class map of Aotearoa and the Rotorua region
• Six sets of group materials

Assessment

• Listen to group discussion for accurate identification of place, people, values and spiritual significance.
• Check worksheet responses for respectful language and an understanding that narratives connect people with place and identity.
• Use the final reflection to identify misconceptions, especially the idea that oral traditions are simply fictional stories or that one account represents every iwi and hapū.

Differentiation

• Provide an illustrated vocabulary bank including pūrākau, whakapapa, whenua, tūrangawaewae and wairua, with pronunciation support where appropriate.
• Read the narrative aloud twice, chunk it into sections, and offer sentence starters or drawing options for students needing literacy support.
• Pair EAL learners with supportive peers and allow oral responses, labelled diagrams or bilingual planning before writing.
• Extend confident students by comparing the narrative’s purpose with a historical description and explaining why both perspectives should be approached respectfully.