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Whakapapa is about intergenerational wisdom. It helps pēpi to understand all of the gifts, skills and talents that they inherit from their ancestors.

Whakapapa is genealogy, a line of descent from ancestors down to the present day. Whakapapa links people to all other living things, and to the earth and the sky, and it traces the universe back to its origins.

Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

When we talk about our whakapapa, we reflect on where our family comes from. We will often use our pepeha pepeha Tribal saying, set form of words, formulaic expression, saying of the ancestors Maori | Noun to introduce ourselves. In our pepeha part of our identity is defined by our maunga maunga Mountain, mount, peak Maori | Noun , our mountain. The whakataukī below suggests that by physically returning to our maunga, or reflecting upon the lands where our whānau is from, we are establishing where we ‘belong’ in the world.

This sense of belonging to whānau extends to the land – mana whenua. In traditional times, mana whenua referred to authority over land and land-based resources. It was associated with the life-sustaining role that the land had in providing food, shelter and security.

Now, mana whenua can also represent the sense of belonging a person has to familiar places, whether natural or made by humans. It is similar to the feelings associated with the ancient concepts around ownership of land – a sense of safety, confidence and intimacy from knowing home and whānau boundaries. It makes for a safe and secure world.

Returning babies’ whenua whenua Land, or placenta Maori | Noun (afterbirth) back to the ancestral whenua (land) is a traditional Māori practice. Whenua ki te whenua.

For a variety of reasons, a child may not grow up with their birth parents. Traditionally, the first child was often raised by grandparents, aunts or uncles. This would usually take place within the whakapapa whānau, with children knowing who their birth parents were. This practice is called ‘whangai’. It still happens today and may take place outside the whakapapa whānau.

The pakiwaitara pakiwaitara Legend, story Maori | Noun The legend of Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga in Te Pihinga 1 is an example of whangai. Are whānau familiar with this pakiwaitara? Talk about the message at the bottom of the story, “Learning whakapapa gives pēpi a sense of belonging to their whole whānau.”

Whakapapa can be introduced in different ways, through waiata, stories, carvings, art and photos. To help pēpi understand where they fit in their whānau, use words like:

• tuakana tuakana Elder brothers (of a male), elder sisters (of a female), cousins (of the same gender from a more senior branch of the family) Maori | Noun
• teina teina Younger brothers (of a male), younger sisters (of a female), cousins (of the same gender) of a junior line, junior relatives  – plural form of teina Maori | Noun
• tungāne tungāne Brother (of a female), male cousin (of a female) Maori | Noun
• tuahine tuahine Sisters or female cousins (of a male) Maori | Noun
• koro koro Elderly man, grandfather, grandad, grandpa - term of address to an older man Maori | Noun
• kuia kuia Elderly woman, grandmother, female elder Maori | Noun

Often people have family photos on the wall or in an album. These can be great resources for learning about whakapapa.

A whakapapa tree can be a useful tool. Ask parents if they’d like to fill in some of the names on a tree for pēpi. Start with their pēpi and then write in the names of the people they know. Talk about who the people are and how they are connected.

Other ways whānau could help pēpi learn their whakapapa include:

• Put together your whakapapa using photos of your maunga, awa awa River, stream, creek Maori | Noun , marae and  wharenui wharenui Meeting house, main building of a marae where guests are accommodated Maori | Noun .
• Make a mobile for pēpi depicting their pepeha.