Whakapapa and Connection

Overview

Lesson 4 of 9 in Crafting Connections: Art and Friendship. Students explore tipuna and whakapapa as ideas about relationships between people, places, values and stories. They create a symbolic mixed-media artwork showing connection, without needing to share private whakapapa or personal information.

Learning intentions

• WALT explore respectful meanings of tipuna and whakapapa.
• WALT identify connections between people, places, values and stories.
• WALT use symbols, line, colour and pattern to communicate an idea.
• WALT discuss artworks respectfully and explain artistic choices.

Success criteria

• I can describe whakapapa as connections and relationships across people, place, time and values.
• I can choose a safe subject: a publicly known, whānau-approved, fictional or symbolic ancestor.
• I can use at least three visual elements to communicate connection.
• I can give and receive respectful feedback without asking for private information.

Curriculum links

• Visual arts: developing ideas from personal, cultural and imagined contexts.
• Visual arts: using art-making processes, materials and elements to communicate meaning.
• Visual arts: describing, interpreting and responding to artworks.
• Tikanga Māori and key competencies: respecting diverse identities, relating to others, managing self and participating confidently in shared learning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–8 min – Welcome, context and safe boundaries Open with the hook and kaupapa slides. Display the question: “How can an artwork show connection without showing a person’s face?” Explain that tipuna can mean ancestors or respected people from earlier generations, while whakapapa describes relationships and connections linking people, places, living things, stories and values. Make the boundary clear: students must not disclose private whakapapa. They may choose a publicly known person, a whānau-approved ancestor, a fictional ancestor, or a symbolic “ancestor” such as a mountain, river, bird, value or story. Acknowledge that iwi and whānau understandings may differ, and invite students to use the knowledge and tikanga appropriate to their context.

2. 8–16 min – Observe and discuss visual language Use the visual examples and discussion prompts to show age-appropriate examples of artworks using symbols, repeated patterns, lines, colour and placement to communicate relationships. Do not claim that a particular symbol has one universal meaning. Ask: “What connections can you see?” “Which visual choices suggest belonging, continuity or care?” “What would be respectful to include or leave out?”

3. 16–23 min – Demonstration and planning Model a simple design: a central symbolic figure or object linked to three surrounding elements representing a place, a value and a story. Demonstrate how a repeated line can suggest continuity, how overlapping shapes can show relationships, and how colour can create mood. Distribute the connection artwork planning sheet. Students select a safe subject and sketch three possible symbols, noting what each represents. Confer briefly with students whose choices may involve sensitive or private information.

4. 23–45 min – Create the artwork Students develop a symbolic artwork on paper using drawing, collage, printing or mixed media. They should include a focal symbol, at least three connected elements, and visual evidence of relationship such as linking lines, repetition, overlap or a shared colour scheme. Keep the making steps and success criteria visible. Circulate and ask open questions: “What relationship are you showing?” “How does this line or colour help communicate it?” “How could you make the connections easier to read?”

5. 45–53 min – Partner feedback In pairs, students place artworks side by side and use the Visual Arts Critique Cards for a short, structured response. Partners first describe what they notice, then identify one visual choice that communicates connection, and offer one kind, specific suggestion. Students may say “I notice…” rather than guessing someone’s personal story. Artists may explain their intention or keep it private.

6. 53–60 min – Share, reflect and tidy Return to the plenary prompts. Invite volunteers to share a visual decision, not personal whakapapa. Students complete the reflection on the connection artwork planning sheet: “My artwork shows connection through…” and “One respectful response I received was…”. Collect work and leave time for shared clean-up.

Resources

• the introduction, examples, making steps and plenary deck
• the connection artwork planning sheet
• Drawing paper or lightweight card
• Pencils, erasers, black pens and coloured pencils
• Water-based paint, brushes and water pots
• Collage paper, glue and scissors
• Optional natural or recycled materials
• Display space or drying rack
• the Visual Arts Critique Cards

Assessment

• Observe planning and discussion for respectful use of tipuna, whakapapa, symbols and cultural boundaries.
• Check artworks for a clear focal symbol, at least three connected elements, and deliberate use of visual elements to communicate meaning.
• Review the written reflection and partner feedback for explanation of artistic choices and respectful responding.

Differentiation

• Provide a choice board of safe prompts: a fictional ancestor, a significant place, a shared value, a famous person, a native species or an imagined guardian. Students may work symbolically rather than autobiographically.
• Offer pre-cut collage shapes, symbol sketches, sentence starters and a teacher conference for students needing support with planning, fine-motor skills, language or confidence.
• Allow oral recording, labelled diagrams or collaborative scribing instead of extended writing. Pair EAL learners with supportive peers and explicitly model pronunciation and meaning of key Māori terms.
• Extend confident artists by asking them to layer foreground, background and repeated motifs, or combine two contrasting visual systems to show a changing relationship across time.