Renowned Māori leader, and pre-eminent scholar on astronomy, Dr Rangi Matamua (Ngāi Tūhoe) has been named 2022 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa. In 2021, Dr Rangi Matamua (Ngāi Tūhoe) discussed with Canvas the significance of Matariki and how TV shows and Star Wars piqued his curiosity for science.
“As I look out my little crystal ball window, I think of the indigenous and traditional knowledge of our ancestors and how in many ways it has been repurposed for our modern society. I think in the modern world our indigenous knowledge bases and practices have so much to offer.
There is a depth of connection and knowledge that all cultures from around the world understand. In our modern world we stop thinking about our connection and our deeper meaningful connectedness to the cosmos and even to the environment. We start to view everything as a resource, and it's one of the real difficulties of being part of a market economy where everything is driven by numbers and finance — we've forgotten the fact that we're actually part of the environment. It's important to tune back in and listen to what the environment is telling us.
I always had a natural curiosity to ask questions and seek answers, and I have always loved science. This interest began in front of the television and the hours I spent with my father watching sci-fi programmes such as Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. During my formative years, the Star Wars movies were released and my life changed. What they helped me to realise is that narrative is so important in connecting people to knowledge, especially Indigenous peoples. These programmes infused very scientific theories and principles such as interstellar travel, light speed, teleportation, alien life, the multiverse and other concepts with storytelling. And for me it was the stories and narratives that helped me to connect to this knowledge base.
My connection to the field of astronomy is actually part of my family heritage. It began some seven generations ago with my ancestor Te Pikikōtuku from the Ngāti Pikiao people of the Rotoiti region. He was a well-known expert and leader, and was acknowledged as a tohunga kōkōrangi (astronomy expert). His son Himiona Te Pikikōtuku inherited his father's mantle. Himiona moved inland to Te Urewera, to the heart of the Tūhoe people in Ruatāhuna. Here he settled with his partner and his in-laws. Their eldest child was Te Kōkau, who also became a tohunga like his father. Te Kōkau eventually passed his knowledge base to his son, Rāwiri Te Kōkau: four generations of Māori astronomers. These tohunga spent their nights, from sunset to sunrise, studying the night sky and making detailed observations of the celestial objects and the environment. Their knowledge base was passed down from father to son via oral transmission and shared observation.
