Māori Story Structure Introduction

Name:

Date:

📚 Wāhanga 1: Story Parts - Ngā Wāhanga Pūrākau

Every pūrākau (story) has three main parts:

• Tīmatanga (Beginning) - Where the story starts
• Raruraru (Problem/Conflict) - The challenge or problem
• Whakataunga (Resolution) - How the problem is solved

1. What does "tīmatanga" mean in English?

Problem

Beginning

Ending

Middle

2. Which Māori word means "problem" or "conflict"?

Tīmatanga

Whakataunga

Raruraru

Pūrākau

3. "Whakataunga" is the part of the story where:

The characters are introduced

The problem gets worse

The problem is solved

New characters appear

✏️ Wāhanga 2: Story Mapping - Mahere Pūrākau

Read this short pūrākau about Tāne and the forest spirits:

Long ago, Tāne loved the ngahere (forest) and all its creatures. One day, the trees began dying because a taniwha was poisoning the water. Tāne was very worried. He spoke to the taniwha and discovered it was lonely and angry. Tāne helped the taniwha find a new home by the sea, and the forest became healthy again.

4. What is the tīmatanga (beginning) of this story?

5. What is the raruraru (problem) in this pūrākau?

6. How is the problem solved in the whakataunga (resolution)?

7. Fill in the blanks with the correct Māori words:

Every pūrākau has a _____________ where the story starts, a _____________ which is the main problem, and a _____________ where everything is resolved.