Free Online Sand-art Series To Build Confidence In Te Reo Māori Learners

Te Onekura, a free online educational series, has been released to support ākonga at all levels of their reo journey. Translated as "The School in the Sand," Te Onekura is an innovative resource that combines the ancient wisdom of oneone (sand) art with intergenerational storytelling to build reo confidence.

Created by Māori education and cultural capability provider TupuOra and artist Marcus Winter, Te Onekura comprises twelve 3-5 minute sand art-narrated videos featuring the dialogue between Koro and his mokopuna, Anahera. The videos explore and reinforce twelve common Māori sentence structures and patterns, providing valuable insights for learners into the structure of te reo.

Te Onekura Project Lead, Te Manawaroa Teinakore, says the series was originally designed for ākonga and kaiako participating in the TupuOra programmes, but there was a broader mission for what Te Onekura could achieve.

“Te Onekura has the potential to help everyone. Whether you're young or old, learning or teaching, a beginner or advanced," says Teinakore.

The idea for Te Onekura came in response to a noticeable trend among learners struggling with specific sentence structures and patterns and a knowledge that not all of us learn in the same way.

"We recognise that learning Te Reo Māori can be challenging, and when you get stuck, it affects your confidence and willingness to persevere," explains Teinakore.

"We don't want people to feel whakamā in their reo journey. So, we thought, let's bring it back to nature and our traditional way of learning through storytelling to tackle these tricky structures."

Te Onekura covers te ao Māori concepts of Pepeha, Whakapapa, Tenses (Past, Present, Future), Te Whānau A, Te Whānau O, Te Whānau A + Te Whānau O, Āwhea, Nōnawhea, T Class Possessives, Rerenga Hāngū, and Rerenga Āhua.

“Te Onekura meets ākonga where they are and nurtures their confidence to use Te Reo Māori. As the first sand art series focused on grammar, we hope the videos inspire many 'aha' moments. It's about going at your own pace and enriching your reo toolbelt."

Teinakore says that Te Onekura is committed to ensuring that Te Reo Māori remains a vibrant and accessible language for all, furthering the revival and preservation of this invaluable cultural treasure.

The video series is available for free at tupuora.co.nz/teonekura and on the TupuOra YouTube channel.

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