Ki-O-Rahi

Ki-O-Rahi is a ball game traditionally played by the Maori’s, Rahi and the enemy tribe. The ball is an original wooden/flax ball named the “Ki”. The Te Tupu is the rock that Rahi was trapped on. Ara represents the pathway of silver ferns, and the pou are the 7 stars of Matariki.

Things that represent Ki-O-Rahi are from the legend of Rahi and the Patupaiarehe, the game tells Rahi’s wife, Te Ara, who has been abducted by an enemy tribe, while the abduction a Tohunga (wizard or priest), had casted a spell on the forest to become dense and impenetrable, so Rahi had built a kite and crafted a few flax bags to carry some Moa eggs, for nourishment during his journey.

When he was preparing god of the wind, Tawhirimatea blew Rahi and the kite high in the sky. While on the ground Te Ara had been secretly folding silver ferns for Rahi to find. They had noticed Rahi’s presence which the Tohunga had casted another spell which caused an extreme sun to come into play, it was the sister of Ra, the regular sun. The green forest quickly became a wasteland, beautiful to an ugly mess, a strong wind blew all the remaining leaves on ground (along with the silver ferns).

Anyway long story short Rahi had rescued Te Ara from the enemy tribe in a mountain that became unstable, where everyone was forced to evacuate, everyone but the Tohunga had escape where he went flying up with the mountain into the heavens where he still causes trouble. Rahi thought he needed peace, so he decided to make a game named Ki-O-Rahi.

And that is how the game was made from the legend Rahi.