Oceanography: Investigating mysteries of the deep
Learn about the amazing lives of sharks and whales and discover why whales are so important in Māori culture.
Science, Social Sciences (Māori), Languages (Te Reo Māori)
Education resource
Years 3–8
Resources
Whale tales from Dusky Sound: Nice smile, pity about the breath!
Podcasts about whales: Attitudes, research, first encounters
Humpback whale in Dusky Sound, 2016. Photo by Jean-Claude Stahl. Te Papa
Method
One of the main reasons we created our animated music video was to celebrate Māori knowledge and understanding of the amazing diversity of life in our oceans.
At Te Papa our science and Matauranga Māori curatorial teams came together to create the Te Taiao Nature exhibition to acknowledge the wonder for the natural world that they both share.
We started this project during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori when we were inspired to help people learn the Māori names for some of the largest and most recognisable animals that visit the waters around Aotearoa New Zealand.
Challenge
Learn about the amazing lives of sharks and whales. Discover why whales are so important in Māori culture. Find out why Te Papa have the world’s biggest collection of whale skeletons and what museums use specimen’s for.