Term One 2014 - 'How Maui tamed the Sun'

To begin this term we're working on a project to turn the Maori myth 'How Maui tamed the Sun' into a play that you will perform to an audience of your peers ... As started in class yesterday, your first task is to assign character roles within your group and to write your script.  Here is the myth for those of you who wanted to copy and paste lines into your script.  I look forward to seeing your plays take shape!

In the beginning of time, in the land of Aotearoa, the sun travelled quickly across the sky.  The days were too short and the nights were too long.  There was very little time for the people to do what they wanted.  The men needed more time to fish and hunt.  The women and children liked to dance with their poi’s and practice stick games but it quickly became too dark to see.  They enjoyed weaving but they could never finish their work.  And, when they had prepared their meals, the sun would go down and they would have to eat in darkness.  The people became unhappy and they grumbled about the days being too short.

“There is no time for weaving, no time for gardening too.  There is no time for cooking; hours of daylight are too few” said one of the village women while her children sat at her legs.

“There is no time for working, no time for hunting too.  There is no time for fishing, when we’re out in the canoe” complained the village women’s husband.

“There is no time for dancing, no time for playing too”. Their daughter said.

 “There is no time for doing all the things we like to do” Their son said.

Another village member who had been listening to all the complaints wondered out loud “If only the days were longer.  We must try and slow down the sun!”

The people of the village asked Maui if he could help them.

“What can we do to lengthen the days?”

 “Maui, can you help us?”

Maui called everyone together and told them of his plan to make the sun slow down.

“I have a plan to catch the sun.  I will need your help.  First I will need some long ropes woven from flax.  Brothers I will need your help too.  Together we will carry the ropes to the edge of the world where the sun sleeps.  We will use the ropes to make a snare and we will catch the sun” Maui said.

Everybody gets to work weaving flax into long ropes for Maui and his brothers to use when taming the sun.  Finally the snare was ready.  Maui and his brothers prepared themselves for the long journey ahead before setting off to the east to where the sun rose each day.  They travelled secretly at night while the sun slept, carrying the flax ropes with them.  They travelled through forests and over mountains until at last they came to the edge of the world.  They spread the snare across the sky so it was easy to catch the sun when it rose.  They hid behind rocks and waited until the day began to dawn.  Maui held his magic jawbone in one hand and the ropes of the snare in the other. 

The Sun begins to rise and Maui calls everyone into action.

“Pull the ropes, quickly pull the ropes.  Hold him brothers while I beat him with my magic jawbone” he yells.

“Let me go, let me go!  You are hurting me!” cries a confused Sun.

The brothers pulled the ropes harder and harder and Maui beat the sun with his magic weapon.  The sun strained and struggled and screamed with pain.

“Stop it!  Let me go!  Why are you hitting me?” bellowed the tortured Sun.

Maui uses his strongest, loudest voice, “You move too quickly across the sky each day.  We cannot see to finish our chores and hobbies.  You must promise to slow down.  Do you promise?

The Sun, wanting nothing but to be free, relents “I promise, I promise, just let me go”.

Maui and his brothers are happy with this.  They release the ropes and watch the sun rise into the morning sky as they head happily back to their village singing the songs of their people. 

From then on, the sun kept its promise and moved slowly across the sky.  The people were glad for now they had time to do all the things they wanted to do.  And to this day, thanks to Maui and his brothers, the sun moves slowly across the sky so that we all can get the things done that we need to.