👥👪 Ko tōku Iwi, Ko tōku Hapū
Adding tribal connections to our pepeha
📚 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
WALT:
- Understand what iwi and hapū mean
- Identify our own iwi and hapū connections (if known)
- Add iwi and hapū lines to our pepeha
- Discuss the importance of tribal identity in te ao Māori
📋 Lesson Flow (60 mins)
🌅 Pepeha Chain Recap (10 mins)
Activity: Students stand in a circle. Each person shares their pepeha so far (maunga, awa, waka) — going around like a wave (karanga).
Celebrate: "Look how much we've learned! Today we add iwi and hapū."
📖 Understanding Iwi & Hapū (15 mins)
Iwi
Tribe — a large group of related hapū
Example: Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou
Hapū
Sub-tribe — extended family groups within an iwi
Example: Ngāti Tūtemohuta (within Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
The Whānau Structure:
Waka → Iwi → Hapū → Whānau
Canoe → Tribe → Sub-tribe → Family
✏️ The Sentence Patterns (15 mins)
Ko [Iwi] tōku iwi.
Ko [Hapū] tōku hapū.
Pronunciation:
- iwi = "ee-wee"
- hapū = "hah-poo"
Discussion Questions:
- How do you find out your iwi? (Ask whānau, kaumātua)
- What if you don't know your iwi? (That's okay — we'll discuss alternatives)
- Can you have more than one iwi? (Yes! Many people whakapapa to multiple iwi)
👨👩👧 Homework: Whānau Interview (10 mins intro)
Task: Interview a family member to discover your iwi and hapū connections.
Interview Questions:
- What iwi does our whānau connect to?
- What hapū are we part of?
- Do we connect to more than one iwi? (maternal/paternal sides)
- How did you learn about our iwi connections?
For students who are non-Māori: Interview whānau about ancestral connections to place — what countries, regions, or communities does your family come from?
🎤 Practice Session (10 mins)
With what you know so far:
- Write your iwi line (if known): "Ko ______ tōku iwi."
- Write your hapū line (if known): "Ko ______ tōku hapū."
- Practice saying your full pepeha (up to 5 lines now!)
If you don't know: Leave a blank for now — you'll complete it after your whānau interview.
📋 Major Iwi of Aotearoa
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
- Sensitivity: Iwi identity can be complex. Some students may be reconnecting with lost iwi connections, others may have complicated family histories.
- Non-Māori students: In Lesson 5, we'll discuss mihimihi as an alternative for students who don't have Māori whakapapa.
- Multiple iwi: Students with connections to multiple iwi can include them: "Ko Ngāti Porou rāua ko Ngāi Tahu ōku iwi."
- Iwi registration: Some iwi have registration databases (e.g., Ngāi Tahu Whakapapa Unit) — students could explore whether their whānau is registered.
🎬 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Media Anchor: Collective Identity and Voice
- What signals collective identity and unity in this clip?
- How does that help you explain iwi/hapū in your own words?
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to craft and perform their personal pepeha — the traditional introduction that locates a person within their whakapapa, connecting maunga, awa, waka, iwi, hapū, and ingoa. Pepeha is one of the most important communicative acts in Te Ao Māori: it establishes identity, relationship, and belonging.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can recite or write their personal pepeha using the correct structural elements with accurate pronunciation.
- ✅ Students can explain the significance of each element of their pepeha — why maunga, awa, waka, iwi, hapū, and ingoa matter as identity markers.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide pepeha sentence frames with blanks for students to complete at the entry level. For students without known iwi or whakapapa connections — due to adoption, Pākehā or non-Māori heritage, or other circumstances — offer a mihimihi alternative that connects to their place, school, and whānau. Extend students who have completed their pepeha by asking them to research the history and significance of their maunga or awa.
ELL / ESOL: Pepeha is a context where home-language connection is a strength, not a barrier — encourage students to reflect on equivalent identity-introduction forms in their own cultural traditions. Pre-teach key kupu (maunga = mountain, awa = river, waka = canoe/ancestral vessel, iwi = tribe, hapū = subtribe, ingoa = name). Model pronunciation using te reo Māori audio resources.
Inclusion: Some students may have complex relationships to identity — adoption, disconnection from whakapapa, or non-Māori backgrounds. Create a safe, non-judgemental space where all identity expressions are honoured. Neurodiverse learners benefit from visual pepeha maps (name → maunga → awa → waka → iwi → hapū → ingoa as a connected diagram). Oral performance can be adapted — some students may prefer written or recorded formats.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Pepeha is not a language exercise — it is a relational and philosophical act. It expresses the understanding that people do not exist as isolated individuals: we are located in landscape, whakapapa, and community. Ko au ko te maunga, ko te maunga ko au — I am the mountain, the mountain is me. This reciprocal relationship between person and place is foundational to Te Ao Māori. Teaching pepeha is teaching identity, belonging, and mana.
Prior knowledge: No prior te reo Māori knowledge required. Students benefit from a brief class discussion about identity and what makes us who we are before beginning their pepeha.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Reo Māori — Communicating: Introduce themselves and others using personal information, including pepeha and mihimihi, drawing on knowledge of their own identity and connections to place.
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how identity is shaped by connections to place, whakapapa, and cultural community — and how these connections are expressed through tikanga Māori.