Papatūānuku, The Earth Mother Māori gods Social Studies

For the start of our Treaty of Waitangi unit, we have started to learn about the Māori Gods and had to create a poster about one of the gods, I chose Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. There is a Māori legend about how the world of light was created. 

In the beginning, Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother and Ranginui, the Sky Father, were in a strong embrace. The sky and the earth were joined together, and their children were born between them. Their 7 children conspired to separate their parents, allowing light and life to thrive in the world. Their child Tāne Mahuta formed into a handstand and then separated his parents. The children became the main deities of the earth. This is how the Māori people explain the creation of the world. 

Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, also known as Mother Earth. There are many other gods from other places in the world that are similar to Papatūānuku. Gaia was the Greek god, Tellus the Roman, Prithvi the Hindu and Houtou for the Chinese. These gods are quite similar in the fact that they are god or goddess of the Earth. 

The construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza

Still, to this day, Egyptologists aren't completely sure about how the Great Pyramids of Giza were built. There are many theories as to how these structures were crafted and experts are trying to develop ways to recreate these Pyramids or to simply figure out how they were built. These ancient Egyptian burial tombs were built to honour the Pharos and higher-ranking officials. Although many people believe that these pyramids were built by slaves, they are now actually believed to be built by Egyptians that lived in that area. Proof of villages abundant with bakeries and other proof of life is situated near the pyramids and seem to have been there for many years. For years, scientists, Egyptologists and Archaeologists have been trying to piece together exactly how these Ancient Egyptians built these structures. Over a span of centuries, the ancient Egyptians created techniques and different forms of technology to build these pyramids. Limestone was one of the materials used to build the pyramids. It was what made up most of the materials used in the construction and the rough Limestone was used in the core of the pyramid. Workers took the stone in blocks by marking out crevices and then transporting them to the construction site. Various tools such as pounders, chisels, hammers and pickaxes made from granite were used to remove the blocks and to carve them into rectangle shapes. Limestone was used in various ways by the Egyptians. Fine, white Limestone was used for the interior decoration of the temples and tombs of the pyramids, whereas the lower-grade limestone was used in other ways, and is normally found in the core of the temples. The ancient Egyptians, in conclusion, had very advanced technology for their time. Their different forms of technology and innovations have really influenced the world we live in today.


The use of Limestone was quite an advanced move for the Egyptians. Limestone was a very easy material for the Egyptians to use for the construction and was used for various reasons. It was very easy to cut, extract and to polish, it did look pretty nice for the aesthetics as well. Extracted from the soil near the construction sites, Limestone was used inside and outside of the pyramids and is found in many other ancient artifacts in Egypt. The Egyptians have developed many interesting technologies and advancements that have been further developed our world and have been developed more and more since the time of the Egyptians. I do think that the world has improved technology-wise after the time of the Egyptians. Ever since the ancient Egyptians first developed these different forms of technology, our world has developed more and more technologies that have further improved our lives.

Technology and Change 2019 Are students addicted to their cellphones?

Are students addicted to their cellphones? Is this an issue? 

Cellphone addiction is a very serious issue, especially when it comes to students in the 21st Century. Nowadays, children are brought up with all of these screens. From the moment they step out into the world, they are exposed to these cellular devices and are always on them from the moment they wake up. Students are in the age group of people that spend a large amount of time on their phones, on a daily basis, students are checking their devices and using them for many different purposes. Although the internet is a very wonderful place, sometimes it can be a very negative space and can sometimes cause issues. Youth spend extensive hours watching videos or on social media platforms and can sometimes lose themselves in the excitement. Face-to-face socialisation isn't a very common way of communication anymore, people prefer to video chat or email their colleagues instead of actually talking to them. From birth, people become addicted to cellular devices, especially students in the 21st Century.  

Changes in Technology

Technology is something that is used to improve our lives. The technology uses skills, tools, and systems to make life easier and to make everything more efficient. 




Here on this slideshow, Jessica and I have made a google slide on Technology and change in the world. We have various examples of how technology has improved and changed. An example of a change in technology would be how communication has changed. We previously used letters, now life is simpler with emails. We can now send emails to anyone in the world and communicate ideas as we please. I do think that this is a good change and we should continue improving ways of communication. 

Imma come back like a Boomerang, Jojo Siwa who?

Explain the purpose of the activity
In the migration topic, we have been focusing on the Indigenous people of Australia. One of the many tools that they used were Boomerangs. Boomerangs were used for hunting and used as toys for children to play with. After doing a research project on Boomerangs, we were tasked with creating a design for our own boomerangs. Using the knowledge that we now have, we all created a design and painted it on a boomerang. The purpose of this activity was to utilise what knowledge we have now gained and put it into a final product. By creating a story using Aboriginal symbols, we used our new knowledge and did something with it, we managed to create a final product that actually showed our learning.

Explain the story that your boomerang tells, and include what the colours mean
The story that I have on my final boomerang is different from the story that I had originally. When I was first coming up with my concept design, I had a very complex story and had many complicated symbols that proved to be tricky to pain, so I simplified my design quite a bit. At the start, I had taken a legend about the humans invading the watering hole that the animals drink from, but the symbols that I used were extremely complicated to paint and ended up looking messy when I had painted it so I ended up covering it up. The brown background represents the dirt areas of Australia, many parts of Australia are covered by dirt, so I thought I would include that. The blue and green swirly circle represents the watering hole and the black arrows represent Kangaroo tracks, I used the white dots to symbolise humans entering the watering hole area and had the Kangaroo tracks leaving the watering hole. The yellow, black and red dots all over the Boomerang are the colours of the Aboriginal flag, so I decided to include them as well! I did the particular zig-zag pattern because it is very similar to other Boomerangs that some of the Indigenous Aborigines used.

What was a challenge during this activity?
There were a few teething problems with my Boomerang. During the painting process, I completely changed up my idea and kind of messed up really badly when I was painting the dots, but other than that, it was a success. I used a pen end to do the dots, so I can't really expect much. The final throwing of the Boomerangs was fun, other than the fact that we threw them when it was foggy so if it went quite far, we would have a hard time finding them as the fog was quite thick. The initial throwing of my boomerang was sadly underwhelming, my athletic ability isn't exactly the best so the boomerang didn't go very far. But I still enjoyed throwing it because my design looked quite nice in the air.

Social Studies Creative Writing Migration story first draft

New Zealand seemed to be paradise, the way that the Admiral spoke of the faraway land truly entranced me into leaving this dump. Through the thick, black fog, I could barely see the advertisement for the distant land. From what I could see, it spoke of wondrous opportunity, more jobs, especially Blacksmith Jobs.

Here at home in England, I spent extensive hours pounding steel into fine armor and swords for the noble knights that protect this land. But jobs here are scarce. After the employment of the Royal Blacksmith, armor is no longer needed to be made. My fine horseshoes and weapons were now made by that bloody Royal Blacksmith. The countless hours I spent meant nothing, the hours I spent pounding that steel into weapons that would slash heads and cave brains into throats of many no longer meant anything. New Zealand looked to be a place of happiness and opportunity, nothing like this shithole.

The thought of leaving England hit me like a ton of bricks. Not even the burning fire of my furnace would stop me like the thought of leaving home. What would happen to my shop? What rats would infest it? Which people would reside in it? Family wasn't an issue, I've got none left. But my poor shop, it's the only thing I had going for myself, the only thing that kept me afloat. England may be a dump. but it's home. The faces of children covered in shit, to remain there till it crumbles off like the distant dreams of children flowing away.

The vessel was an incredible sight for sore eyes. Large and intimidating, the ship looked like it could carry many, many animals of this earth in its hull alone.

"Name"
A large, bearded man with paper grumbled as he stood in front of the steps.
"Alec Culloden sir"
I mumbled anticipating his answer.
"Ah yes, the Blacksmith, you'll be in this group, group three"
The thick scent of tobacco filled my nose when those words left his lips.
"How old are you young man?"
"26 sir, I want to start anew in this wondrous land"

We were promised a new start when we got on the ship. Many young men piled into the hull of the ship. Some forced on top of each other. Others needed to leave their loved ones and children in order to go on this trip. Good thing I had no family, no one to hold, no one to hold me. The stench of England followed us on our voyage. Rotten fish and cat urine could be smelt from a million miles away. There were some young men rocking back and forth hugging their knees, no space, hardly any food and the addition of rats scurrying around made this all ten times worse. The men from the church wanted to start a church choir. They spent all their time harmonizing and creating melodies to keep themselves entertained and to keep spirits up. I decided to join in on this, apparently, my raspy voice did some good. Months went by, and we were still on this ship, some gave up, but I soldiered on, this new life and opportunity were what I strived for.

Many months went by and we finally arrived in New Zealand. My legs, barely able to keep me upright, struggled and slowly took me to the steps of the ship. Many trees and little ships took over all of the lands. The glimmering of the Tuscany sea shone with the reflection of the sky and the sun. My own hut was quite small with all of the tools necessary for Blacksmithing. But something seemed off, I'm not sure if it was the copper-skinned men or the English pointing guns at them. The indigenous people of New Zealand spoke a different tongue to us, a language no one seemed to understand. The English didn't care, they just pulled their triggers. Loud bangs filled the air, a sound most of us were quite familiar with, but the copper people did not like this sound, they all ran and hid in the bushes. This wasn't the life I wanted, scaring the native people of this land, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I was going to live my best life. I wanted to go home, but then I realized, the amazing scenery. This place truly looked beautiful. New Zealand was the paradise I dreamed of every night, the place I was now to call home.

Child Soldiers and Human Trafficking 🚸

This Map shows the Top 10 worst countries for slavery in the world. Around the world, children are forced into different forms of labour that can be harmful and in most case traumatising for slaves.




SEEL PARAGRAPH

WHY ARE CHILDREN USED IN WAR AND HOW DOES THIS TAKE AWAY FROM THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM?
Children around the world have no childhood, they only know WAR and HATE. Countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia use child soldiers. Child soldiers are children who are recruited and used as fighters, cooks, suicide bombers, human shields, messengers, spies, or as sexual slaves. These children are put into many difficult situations that can result in trauma and painful injuries. Children who live in poverty, children who are poor, children living in hardships or in the slums are more likely to be targeted to be forcibly recruited into these armies. With living in these horrible conditions, these families live in debt, and to pay off these debts, the children are sold to people. It is very easy to convince these children that these things are occurrences of the norm and that there is no reason to be scared. The parents sell their children young because they are very easy to manipulate, meaning that their decisions are easily driven by others. These kids are told to do many dangerous things and can't really do anything about it. The Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom, and these children's right to be free has been taken by these horrible people. Children around the world suffer through these hardships, have been brought up in this WAR and HATE and most of them continue in this life, just to stay safe.

S.E.E.L paragraph about Child labour

Why are children used in labour and how does this take away their human rights and freedom?

According to basic Human Rights, everyone has to rights to freedom, and not enslaved. Child labour is practised in many countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan etc. Children that live in poverty, children who are poor and living in the slums most commonly have many debts. To pay these debts off, the children are sold and bought by Human Traffickers. Most of these children are growing up without an education because they are working all the time for their masters. Due to being so young and naive, children are easily manipulated and targeted for work. Jobs that these children around the world are doing are work in the mines, carpet factories and brick making stations. Most of the time these workplaces are very hazardous and these jobs are not good for the children at all. Without this freedom, these children's human rights are being violated. They have lost their right to be free.

10 Worst Countries for child labour

This is a map I created is about the 10 worst countries for child labour. In Social Studies, child labour is our latest topic. The pins that are seen in the map shows where child labour is still practised and even legal.

Who was Harriet Tubman?

Here is my mindmap about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. In Social Studies, we have been learning about Human Rights and have branched off onto Slavery for one of our main topics. Learning about Harriet Tubman has been interesting since her selfless acts have made an amazing impact on the world and have changed peoples views and lives.

Harriet Tubman was an important conductor in the underground railroad. Slave turned abolitionist, born as "Araminta Ross", Harriet Tubman freed many slaves using her influence on others and the Underground Railroad. Like many slaves, Harriet had a very rough childhood. Being beaten by her master and suffering from a head injury in her teens had made a huge impact on Harriet. In a famous quote Harriet says "I freed a thousand slaves, I could have saved a thousand more, if only they knew they were slaves". This quote truly shows how humble Harriet was and how she wishes that she could've done more. Even though she did the amazing job of saving many slaves, she wishes that she could've saved more, but she was unable to because they didn't think of themselves as slaves.

In 1844, she married a free slave called John Tubman. When Harriet asked John about escaping to go to Philadelphia, he broke up with her, and then he married a second time to another woman. After Harriet escaped to Philadelphia, she then became a conductor for the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a network that slaves used to escape, and that guiding slaves up North to freedom. Once she was free, Harriet then made 19 trips to save other slaves. She influenced many and saved many. She saved many of her relatives as well.

Most slaves dates of birth were not recorded, so Harriet's exact date of birth is unknown. But Harriet's date of birth is thought to be between 1820 and 1825. Harriet sadly passed away in 1913 due to pneumonia in March. She is buried in Fort Hill Cemetary with Military honours.

What did I find interesting?
I really enjoyed learning about Harriet Tubman. She was a very influential woman in history and her work among many others should be appreciated more. I found how the Underground Railroad worked really interesting, and the impact it made on peoples lives.

What did I already know?
I didn't really know who Harriet Tubman was at the start. I had some idea about slavery concepts, but  I have learned a lot about it now.

What I want to learn
I really want to find out how accurate slavery is portrayed in movies. The silver screen can sometimes mellow down occurrences for obvious reasons but I would like to find out how accurate they really are. Also, I would like to learn more about modern slavery.

Why is Harriet Tubman so important?
She did so many amazing things for slaves everywhere. She freed many people and changed their mindsets about slavery. She was truly an amazing woman and deserves more recognition around the world.

Atlantic Slave Trade Triangle 🗺

This is my map of the Atlantic Slave Trade Triangle that I have created using MyMaps on google. This represents the process that happened with goods and slaves. Using the line feature, I managed to create a map that I can understand and that should be easy for others to understand.

What is the Slave Trade Triangle?
The Slave Trade Triangle indicates trade among three ports and regions. It was where the Europeans took the people from Africa, used them as slaves and then sold their goods.

What is the first passage?
The voyage from Europe to Africa is known as the first passage. The cargoes that were carried were guns and weapons in general.

What is the middle passage?
Guns and weapons were then traded for humans. They were then put on Slave ships and then sent to the Americas.

What is the third passage?
Materials like cotton, tobacco that slaves picked were sent to Europe and then sold.

What are Human Rights? 🌍

At the start of the Human Rights Unit, I had a small idea of what Human Rights were. Our Learning objective for this unit was to Learn what the 30 Human Rights were. I didn't know that some of these Human Rights existed! I thought that some of them were confusing but I soon understood what they meant. Human Rights are a vital part of our lives and it's important that we know what they are. Personally, I would like to learn more about how far New Zealand has come as a society. Learning about the past mechanisms used previously. Also, to delve deeper into Human Right origins and famous people that have fought for Human RIghts.