Hello and welcome today I will be talking about some traditional Maori games and how to play them, instructions and tips and tricks when playing.
Te Uru, Tapuae and Ki O Rahi
Te uru is a traditional Maori game that involves 6 players (3 a side). A netball sized court is needed or even bigger for larger groups.
Equipment required:
- Piece of Tī Kōuka, Block of wood, Kī or Triangle ball (multi directional ball found in most P.E departments)
- Cones
- Whariki / Place mats
- Bibs or Ripper tags for team I.D
Guidlines:
- Attack: Pass the ti or kī to one of your players standing on a mat to score points. Player (standing on mat) must catch and control the ti, ki, or poi on the full with an open hand.
- Defense: Stop the other team from scoring points by intercepting a passed ti or kī.
- How to score points: Catch near hips = 1 mat removed, catch above the head = 2 mats removed, catch ti or kī on the back of the neck without using your hands = game winner.
- ti or kī is passed into the field of play by the Kaiwawao (referee) at the beginning of the game and after each score.
- Alternatively each team can start halves or quarters and defending team starts after each score.
- The kī cannot go directly from defense to the attacking zone; it must be passed to the players in the middle zone.
- Must be caught open handed to score, when using a kī or block.
- If it is caught waist high take away 1 mat, head high take away 2 mats, catches behind the neck wins the game.
Tapu Ae is one of many Kī (ball) game variations. Traditionally the Pawero area’s on the field were sometimes specially constructed mounds of dirt. 6 minimum is needed and a netball sized court or even bigger.
Equipment required:
- 6-10 cones to be the Tupu
- 6-10 Tennis balls to put on top of the Tupu/cones
- Kī/ball or just a normal netball/soccer/foam ball
- Netball/Basketball court or Field marking paint
- Bibs or Rippah tags to identify teams.
Guidelines
- Start the games by throwing the Kī into Te Ao (the middle zone) this is done after each tupu hit.
- If a team losses possession out of bounds over the sides, then they hand over the Kī to the opposition.
- If it goes out over the back, the defensive teams kaitiaki gets the Kī.
- The Kī must be touched by your team in Te Ao, before the attack can gain possession.
- If you are using a Poi Toa, attackers need to keep the poi swinging, if the defender is close enough to be hit by the Poi, then they are too close, if 2 people catch the Poi at the same time then the closest to the ki (head/ball) retains possession (also refer to Poi Toa)
Ki O Rahi is played for 4 quarters or 2 halves of a set time, teams alternate roles of Kīoma and Taniwha at half or quarter time. Kīoma score by touching Pou/s with the Kī (for potential points) then running the Kī through Te Roto and placing it down in Pawero to convert pou touches into points. Kīoma stop the other team, Taniwha.
Equipment required:
Equipment needed 1 tupu approx 40 gallon drum or rubbish bin. 7 pou. Ki, woven flax ball, normal ball, rocks, rolled up jersey or anything. Field marking.
Guidelines
- Play is started from te Marama, with Kioma throw or kick the ki to a team mate in Pawero area.
- They attempt to pass the ki to team mate who touches a pou (for a potential point) then can touch more pou to accumulate more potential points or run it through te roto then place the ki on or over the Pawero line to convert all pou touches into points on the board. (this is the only time they can enter te roto).
- Kioma can not go through or over te ara to score.
- If a kioma player is “tagged” in te roto while trying to score it is a hand over, if they run into te roto and run or pass the ki back out with out being touch they retain possession but the pou touches are recounted.
- Kioma scores and play restarts with a kick off from te marama.
- Out of bounds, last team in possession hand over to other team.
- Taniwha scores by hitting the tupu with the ki and play carries on.
- Jump shots may be allowed if the taniwha player jumps from te roto and releases the ki before landing in Pawero, they must leave immediattely and not affect play or Kioma gain possession.
- Players in possession must be moving or they have 3-5 seconds to pass or shot or hand it over.
- Players can not enter te ara, unless they are kioma moving between pawero and te ao.
- Players may get the ki from other zones as long as part of their body stays in their legal zone, Taniwha may take jump shots at the tupu as long as the ball is released before they touch the ground. (some Iwi play no entering other zones or penalties may occur) This is called the Turangawaewae rule.
- We have attached a couple of variations of how it can be played. Keep an eye out on this site for video instructions!