Tikanga Maori

Stop

Tikanga Maori is implemented in many ways in the centre I volunteer at. Firstly, children are not to run indoors at any time; running is for outside and inside it is to be strictly walking. No running inside is also something that the teachers do as they play significant roles in each of the children’s life’s that come to the centre leading the children to imitate and learn from what they see the teachers do. At my centre which is a Samoan based Day-care, children are encouraged to sing Maori songs at mat time and also to perform Maori dances, the young boys always take great pride in performing the Haka. The centre staff make sure infants are never put on tables and neither is it acceptable for the toddlers and young children to sit or stand on them.

Think

I think that the centre has been quite successful with implementing Tikanga Maori as most children are aware of it and are following what is being expected of them. Teachers not running indoors is setting an example for the children, it lets them understand that it is inappropriate to run around inside and so the children do not do it either. A few teachers do choose to look past the occasional child that decides he would prefer to run through the building then walk but then the manager or head supervisor stops them and asks that they walk. If there are emergencies such as a child falling over and hurting themselves on a hard object, a teacher will usually run to aid the situation.  At the centre it is inappropriate for a child to be sitting or standing on a table as that is where food for them is placed and also where the food is eaten, it would be disrespectful to place such things as dirty feet on them. The attitudes of the staff at the centre and also those of the parents of the children that attend the centre have helped in making the implementation of Tikanga Maori successful. They encourage children to explore the Maori culture and customs as they believe that the children need to be exposed to a multicultural environment, they teach the children to respect the place in which they are being taught in.

Change

Ways that I could implement Tikanga Maori in my centre is by introducing the children to more customs, exposing them to Maori festivals and celebrating them with the children. Costumes and props could be brought in to the centre so children can experiment and practise dances with the costumes on.

"New Zealand is the home of Maori language and culture: curriculum in early childhood settings should promote te reo and nga tikanga Maori, making them visable and affirming their value for children from all cultural backgrounds". (Ministry of Education, 1996, p 42)