The free event; UC Presents: Under One Sky - Matariki Across Cultures hosted by Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) Faculty of Arts, will be held at The Arts Centre’s Great Hall on Tuesday 7 July.
The panel features UC academics Associate Professor Peter Field (Humanities), Pou Whakarae Professor Te Maire Tau (UC’s Office of Treaty Partnership), Associate Professor Enrica Sciarrino (Classics), Associate Professor Susan Bouterey (Global, Cultural and Language Studies), and Dr Ashalyna Noa (Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies).
While most New Zealanders are now familiar with Matariki and Māori New Year traditions, many will be unaware of how the festival is celebrated in other cultures.
In Graeco-Roman tradition the Pleiades were seasonal markers for farming and navigation, and in her presentation, Associate Professor Bouterey will explain how in Japan the star cluster is referred to as Subaru, symbolising unity, a meaning still reflected in the car brand’s iconic logo.
Festivities surrounding the Subaru star cluster are one of the five major seasonal events in the Japanese calendar and can be traced back some 1300 years, Associate Professor Bouterey says. “They represent a fusion of ancient ritual, Japanese folklore and Chinese legend.”
Associate Professor Field says these shared connections show diverse cultures have turned to the same stars for timekeeping, navigation, storytelling, and identity, offering a rich opportunity for cross cultural dialogue.
“I think what Matariki shows us is that various cultures and communities have much more in common than they have differences.”
The UC-hosted event is part of The Arts Centre’s Matariki programme, which features music, exhibitions, kapa haka, wānanga (workshops) and night mākete.
