Samoan Pe'a

In extension, we have been looking at symbols and the meanings and reasons behind the tattoos. But the very tattoo we have been researching and focusing on is the samoan Tatau, or, the Pe'a.

Recently, we were visited by Mr Tele'a, who was going to show us his very own Tatau. But before we could ask questions and find out more information about it, Mrs Tele'a pointed out some of the elements included in the tattoo such as the va'a (canoe).

The Va'a, is a 20-30 cm solid coloured strip that represents family. It wraps around the back and towards the front. In this case, the va'a wraps around and comes just under the ribcage. It also has an arrow point or a faaulutao at each end. 

Once we had done that, we started asking him questions we had prepared before. We asked about the designs, the meanings, how long it took, etc. He answered the questions with detail and explained things very well. One thing he said that I found quite interesting, was that if you unwrap the Pe'a from around your body and look it as if you were looking at it on a piece of paper, it'll look like a bat.

We are now working on creating and designing two of our very own symbols/tattoos. One of them had to include one aspect of our culture or heritage and the other, had to represent ourselves. Currently, I am working on designing the two tattoo's. 

Storyline Reflection

Last week the year 5, 6, 7 and 8 extension groups went along to The Storylines Festival out at the Vodafone Events Center. It was a pretty interesting and enjoyable day hearing from the different authors but overall, my favourite’s were probably, Juliette McIver and Jill McGregor, even though they both wrote children’s books.

These two authors were very entertaining, interacted with the audience and creative. Juliette had a really ‘out there’ kind of personality and seemed really excited. She was really into rhyming and also created her own words. She also read aloud one of her books called, Queen Alice’s Palaces. Jill, was more of an educational writer who spoke with a soft tone. She talked about her experiences in the islands and why she started writing.

If I presented at the festival, I would try to interact with the audience to get them more excited and interested. Maybe things like, getting some students on stage to act out parts of the story or getting them to read the speech bits in a voice that matched the character. That would be quite interesting.

Overall, I had a great time listening and learning about the different authors even though I did enjoy last year’s Storyline Festival more enjoyable and interesting.

Year 8 Camp!

A few weeks ago, the year 8’s were lucky enough to go and camp at the Marsden Bay Christian Camp in Ruakaka. It was so much fun, I wish it had lasted longer! Over the four days we spent there, I got to enjoy relaxing, many activities and more.

Day 1 wasn’t that bad but it surely wasn’t my favourite. After taking a 2 hour bus drive, we stopped at Langs Bay and started our hike towards Waipu Cove. Ms Squires had planned what was supposed to be an easy walk, but due to the weather it wasn’t so. The track was not only slippery but very narrow which made it harder for everyone to avoid plummeting to their deaths. But luckily, everyone made it to the end.

For me, my favourite day was day 3. We did many different activities such as a fire pit cooking challenge, archery, a confidence course, frisbee golf and kayaking! Then to finish the night off, we all gathered around a campfire and sang songs.

But overall, my highlight from camp was probably spending time together as a whole year 8 group (instead of just our team groups). Also, getting to know other people that I don’t usually hang out with.

Tangle Explanation

A celtic knot is a piece of art that has been interwoven to create the illusion that it has no beginning or end. Having that class 1 and class 5 have combined (Panuba), this particular style of art is great as a collaborative project, as everyone can contribute with their own design.

It’s a great idea to do some planning and researching before you start draft-sketching. Look at different designs, patterns, colours and symbols you could include in your piece. But remember to include something that represents you.

Choosing only a few colours that contrast each other would be better than using a lot. Bright and bold colours will also make your artwork stand out more.

Placing all the pieces in the right place of the tangle can be quite confusing, so it's a good idea to label them. This way, it'll be easier to assemble the celtic knot.