These games consist of the rhythmic throwing and catching of sticks from person to person.
In traditional times te rākau
served as a way of training warriors
the players stood or knelt in a circle
the chant would grow faster and those who dropped their sticks would be out of the game
the last person in was the winner
sticks were 90cm in length
In more recent times:
te rākau have been used as entertainment in concerts
sticks of 30cm are used
players sit on the ground facing each other
but they do stand in the stick dance Hoea to Waka
Stick game songs are called waiata poi rākau or tītī tōrea.
Your Challenge...
Use decorated rolled and taped newspaper sticks, lengths of doweling or kitchen roll inners to create your own te rākau.
Plan and create your own stick dance, either by yourself or with someone in your bubble. You might want to copy some of the movements from the video below or create your own unique ones. Make sure you take photos of your te rākau and/or create a CLIPS video to share with us.