Today’s Step it up was to try more challenging Whai. I watched the videos but after not been successful with the Kick start I did not successful try it. However I did do some more reading into Whai Maori String games. This is what I learnt:
Similar sting games played all around the world but Whai is a bit different as I learnt that there is chants (Karakia)/ songs (Waiata) that are sung to remind you how to move the strings. Traditionally the string was made from flax. Whai is a fun activity for both girls and boys and for all ages, women were better than men. By doing Whai it is excellent training for the skill of weaving and net-making, was also a way warriors could practice hand eye coordination. Whai was passed down by Maui and the patterns represent Mythological stories. Whai can be done on your own or as a bit of a competition with someone else.
I am going to ask my family to try to make the simple Whai at the weekend and see if they can do it. I need to work on my hand eye coordination to be able to do Whai.