Ahakoa, he iti he pounamu
Although it is small it is precious
—
Tiny Shops has had a wonderful kaiako come in weekly to teach Māori language and also culture. The class occurs before our opening hours so staff can also attend.
Our teacher uses the very interesting Ataarangi Method. Using rākau – counting sticks – to represent words directly, this method means more focus on speaking and listening because there is less writing, and less translating to-and-from English.
For several months we’ve been preparing to visit a Marae, in conjunction with a bigger group of students from Aranui Salvation Army.
For many of the songs introduced to us in this class, we’ve found chords and incorporated them in our Tiny Music group’s repertoire.
