This is a fun new game that as students play, they use another language (Māori) and also learn another culture’s legends. 

Rahi’s wife was taken whilst in a forest by some forest fairies (not so nice ones) and Rahi attempted to find her by flying a huge glider (like a hang glider) following a trail left by his wife as she was dragged through the forest.  He took a kī (bag) with Moa eggs as food for the journey.  The fairies knew he was coming so cast spells of wind and fire to stop him.    He landed on a mountain (the blue drum at the centre) and Namu, a great eagle, protected him while he got his energy back (a person tries to stop a red ball hitting the blue drum during the game). 

Whilst he is there a taniwha tears up a circular lake around the mountain so he can’t escape.  However a bridge of ice is formed over the river so Rahi and Namu can escape.

Rahi gets reinforcements from his tribe and they find his wife and free her.  Instead of killing each other the two groups decided to form a game to settle disagreements in the future – Ki-o-Rahi.

Like all stories that are really old, they are passed on verbally and things are changed and exaggerated.  When we hear them in the future, we take an element of truth to them but the meaning is more important. 

In the past, and even now, Māori, often settle disagreements via discussions and / or competitions.  Violence often wasn’t the norm.  Usually because of intertribal relationships that would often occur. 

This game reminds us that violence is not the way to settle anything and a great way to learn a famous Māori legend.   

Take a walk on the field or look on Facebook and see if you can figure out where the ice bridge is, where the lake is and where the mountain is. The seven flags seem to be added as seven is symbolic for Māori with things like the seven stars of Matariki etc.  The teams are the taniwhas (lizards) and the Kī-oma (bag/basket/ball- runners).