Oral Histories and Pūrākau

Overview

Lesson 22 of 30 in Whenua, War, and Sovereignty. Students learn respectful protocols for working with pūrākau, oral testimony, and kaumātua knowledge, then compare oral and written sources about whenua, war, and sovereignty. The lesson builds on prior source-analysis work by extending concepts of perspective, purpose, reliability, corroboration, and significance.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain why pūrākau and oral testimony must be approached through appropriate tikanga and relationships.
• WALT identify perspective, purpose, context, and limitations in oral and written sources.
• WALT compare sources without assuming that one form of evidence is automatically superior.
• WALT use detailed evidence to make a justified historical judgement.

Success criteria

• I can describe protocols for using pūrākau, oral testimony, and kaumātua knowledge.
• I can annotate evidence for perspective, purpose, context, reliability, and usefulness.
• I can compare sources respectfully and explain agreements, differences, and silences.
• I can support a conclusion with specific evidence and acknowledge limitations.

Curriculum links

• Examine sources of an historical event that is of significance to New Zealanders: close reading, extracting meaning, perspective, intent, reliability, and bias.
• Examine an historical event or place of significance to New Zealanders through coherent explanations and detailed supporting evidence.
• Carry out an inquiry of an historical event or place: annotating evidence, organising sources, cross-referencing, and evaluating reliability.
• Level 7 History: understand how historical forces influence events and how interpretations differ.

Lesson structure (120 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Establish the kaupapa. Teacher welcomes students, explains that oral histories and pūrākau are living knowledge held within relationships, and displays the lesson focus using the opening question and tikanga slides. Students respond silently to: “What makes evidence trustworthy?” then share ideas, distinguishing trust from familiarity or format.

2. 10–30 min · Teach protocols and concepts. Teacher uses the protocol and source-analysis slides to introduce permission and consent, correct attribution, confidentiality, careful transcription, not taking knowledge out of context, and checking whether material may be recorded or shared. Clarify that pūrākau are not simply “stories” or folklore; their meaning, authority, and use depend on people, place, whakapapa, and context. Students create a two-column note set: “Before using the source” and “When interpreting the source”. Emphasise that tikanga and local guidance take precedence over a generic classroom procedure.

3. 30–45 min · Model a comparison. Teacher provides a short, teacher-approved paired extract about a local or previously studied event: one oral testimony or pūrākau excerpt with provenance, and one written record. The extracts should not disclose restricted mātauranga. Model thinking aloud: identify who created each source, audience, purpose, context, wording, perspective, and what each source makes visible or leaves silent. Students annotate their copies and suggest one respectful question they would ask before using either source.

4. 45–75 min · Collaborative source inquiry. Organise six groups of five and distribute the paired-source analysis organiser. Each group receives a different paired extract relating to whenua, war, or sovereignty. Students first read independently, then discuss evidence using the organiser. They record provenance, perspective, purpose, context, points of agreement, differences, silences, usefulness, and cautions. Groups must distinguish between “the source says”, “the source suggests”, and “we cannot conclude”. Teacher conferences with groups, checking that students do not rank oral evidence against written evidence by format alone and that claims remain grounded in the provided context.

5. 75–100 min · Jigsaw and historical judgement. Regroup students so that each new group contains representatives from several original groups. Students present their paired sources and explain one important insight, one limitation, and one question requiring further inquiry. Each listener records a comparison from another group. Students then write a paragraph answering: “How can oral and written sources be used together to examine an event of significance to New Zealanders?” Require at least two specific pieces of evidence, a comparison of perspectives, and a caution about reliability or use.

6. 100–120 min · Plenary and exit assessment. Teacher revisits the opening question through the plenary and reflection slides. Students complete the group discussion exit ticket slips individually, answering: “What protocol matters most when using oral testimony or pūrākau, and why?” and “What can one source reveal that another may not?” Invite three students to share responses, ensuring no student is pressured to disclose personal, whānau, or culturally sensitive knowledge.

Resources

• the Oral Histories and Pūrākau slide deck
• the paired-source analysis organiser
• Teacher-approved, anonymised oral testimony or pūrākau extract with clear provenance
• Contextual written record relating to the same event or issue
• Board or digital display
• Highlighters or annotation tools
• Six group tables or discussion spaces
• School or local guidance on tikanga, recording, attribution, and use of community knowledge

Assessment

• Circulate during group inquiry and check annotations for evidence, perspective, purpose, context, usefulness, and limitations.
• Listen for respectful language and whether students distinguish evidence from assumption during the jigsaw.
• Collect the judgement paragraph and exit ticket. Look for specific evidence, meaningful comparison, and a justified caution about source use or reliability.

Differentiation

• Provide a glossary and sentence starters: “This source is useful because…”, “Its perspective may be shaped by…”, “The sources agree that…”, and “We should be cautious because…”.
• Give students extracts in manageable sections, with optional audio, enlarged text, and highlighted provenance information. Allow verbal rehearsal before writing.
• Support EAL learners with paired reading and a concept bank for perspective, purpose, context, corroboration, reliability, and significance.
• Extend confident students by asking them to evaluate the basis for their assumptions, identify a significant silence, and propose a further source or interview question while explaining the ethical considerations.