traditional poi (light ball made of raupo
- swamp plant - attached to a flax rope, which can be either long
or short) used in Māori action songs and dances originates
from the archaic "Poi Toa".
These artefacts were used prolifically
by pre-European Māori - men, woman and children - in games
and physical exercises to sharpen reflexes, increase flexibility
and improve coordination.
Poi Toa originate from the ancient "ki".
These were small woven flax baskets used to carry a single Moa (large
flightless bird, now extinct) egg. To ease carrying, two (or
more) ki would be joined by a length of plaited flax rope and
slung over the shoulders or around the neck.
Today the term "ki" refers to the head of the Poi
Many Māori believe that the *sequence
Matua and Whaea Rikoriko
- Ko Te Ao and Ko Te Po
- Tane Mahuta and Hine-i-te-repo
is the genealogy of the Poi Toa.
"sequence", which is "order or "genealogy", refers to The Beginning.
The Beginning has no gender, hence the inclusion of Matua
(male entity) and Whaea (female entity).
We then have the World (Te Ao), and the Long Night or Long
Darkness (Te Po). Following are the gods (Atua) :
- Ranginui (male - the Sky God)
- Papatuanuku (female - Earth Mother or God - female)
- When Ranginui
and Papatuanuku separated, Te Ao Marama (the
world of Light) came.
- Then came Tane Mahuta (God of the Forests and
bush), along with three female gods.
- Tane had children with the female gods, in order to create
resources for making poi toa ( e.g. raupo (swamp plant) harakeke
- Pakoti is the God of Harakeke (flax).
Skills developed while practicing Poi Toa were transferable
to weaponry use and fighting techniques.
Poi Toa constructions varied considerably, not only in ki weight
and rope length, but also in design (with multiple ki and "tails")
and decoration. Furthermore, records also tell of Poi Toa being
adapted to "fire bomb" pa fortifications (Māori
fortified village), and as Moa hunting weapons.
Poi Toa used commonly today have just one "ki" and
one rope "tail".
Practitioners of Poi Toa in New Zealand utilise them in martial
arts, kapa haka (traditional Māori
performing arts), games
and exercises. Whereas harakeke (flax), ti (cabbage
tree or palm) and raupo (swamp
plant) were the principal materials used in
ancient Poi Toa, today synthetic materials are most prevalent.
arts type exercises, the "ki" is often heavily
weighted with a stone, to increase resistance and power, with
ropes one to five metres long. Poi Toa used in kapa haka (performing
arts) and games have lightly weighted ki with ropes less than
one metre long.
These uniquely developed Māori implements have also been
popularised around the world in the form of "fire poi", and
are also used in aerobics classes and gymnastics disciplines.
Skill Development Exercises and Games
(Source: Poi Toa demonstrations by Eruera Hemana)
Māori had names for each Poi
Toa exercise, these varied from tribe to tribe, and as we have
seen with the development of "fire poi" worldwide, the
names of such exercises is better understood from within a local
context. So it is a good idea to make up names, from the games
examples following, which are suited for your own adherence.
|Basic Poi Toa: Hand-to-Hand Passing
Initially have the
players spinning the Poi Toa while standing still. Have
them make big circles (with the ki or head of the Poi Toa) and
then have them shorten their
ropes to make small circle - and then letting out the rope
to make big circles again.
Then move the players on. Have them practice spinning and handing
over the Poi Toa to each other without the Poi Toa stopping – they
can do this in pairs. Body and hand positions are crucial when
successfully passing and receiving a spinning Poi Toa.
Next, divide the players into two equal teams. Have them
standing still in a straight line with a two metre gap down the
middle. Give the front person in each line a Poi Toa.
On “Go!” they
pass it to the next one in line, and so on, until the Poi Toa reaches
the last player in the line who then runs to the front of the line,
still spinning the Poi Toa, and sits down. The rest of the team
sits down also.
The first team "down" (having
passed correctly and having kept the Poi Toa spinning) wins.
Could also have the players keep going until everyone has had
a turn at being in the front of their line. (This activity can
also be adapted into a circle).
Arrange the players
into pairs or into teams. If in pairs have them facing equidistant
objects (e.g. cones) that they have to go around or touch before
returning to their partner. Can also place obstacles (such as cones,
hula hoops or car tyres), on the ground, that they have to negotiate
as they run and spin. Have them run whilst continually spinning
the Poi Toa.
Remind them about shortening and lengthening the rope. They can
do top spinning (whereby the Poi Toa is continually twirled horizontally
above head height), side twirling, front twirling, twirling whilst
running backwards, while knee "walking", and
many other variations. Have them hand the Poi Toa over to their
partner, with the Poi Toa continually spinning.
Use cones to mark
out a distance of 25 metres. Sort out teams with equal numbers.
Sides line up behind their cone, with the first team member (the
"train engine") holding
the Poi Toa .
On “go!” that person runs while swinging the Poi
Toa round and round to the cone, 25 metres distant, and returns.
They then hand the Poi Toa over to the next team member, making
sure to keep the Poi Toa circling – it must not stop spinning!
Then they go behind the new "swinger" (Poi Toa handler),
and with both hands grab onto their waist.
The new "swinger" then runs to the distant cone (with
their attached "carriage"/team mate) and returns. They
then hand the Poi Toa over to the next player waiting inline, and
then they grab that player’s waist also.
So now there are three players, all attached to each other, racing
to complete the 50 metre course. The process continues until all
the players have had a go at being the "train engine",
have kept the Poi Toa spinning, and have remained attached.
team to finish correctly wins.
Remember that the first person who runs will cover the greatest
distance (so if there are eight in a team they will need to run
400 metres) and the last person will only have to run 50 metres.
|Basic Poi Toa: Spinning and Throwing
Have the players
pair up and standing five metres apart in two lines. Walk along
one of the lines and hand out the Poi Toa (one Poi Toa between
a pair). Get them used to throwing and catching the Poi Toa to
In the beginning remind them to spin the Poi Toa in a vertical
and clockwise manner (right handed in relation to their body) before
releasing it. Have the catcher grab the rope part only, before
the Poi Toa makes contact with the ground. They can experiment
with the throwing positions as the lesson progresses.
As their confidence and ability improves, have the lines move
much further apart to ten and twenty metres. When they are ready,
have them really give the Poi Toa some air – ten or twenty
metre heights should be no problem! The players will automatically
perfection their foot movements and time their hand and eye coordination
to complete the catching and passing skills.
A competition could also be included into this lesson - for the
pair who can throw and catch the furthest and/or a Poi Toa distance
Target throwing can also be introduced. Spread
a mat out on the ground, and from twenty metres or more, see
who can land their Poi Toa onto it.
Players, and the Poi Toa holder/thrower, form
a large circle. The players are numbered off, e.g. 1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4…so
each person has a number.
The Poi Toa holder then readies the players : “I will call
out a number from one to four - when you hear your number you must
run into the centre of our circle and try to be the first person
to catch the Poi Toa…. "Ready, ready" - (the holder spins
and releases the Poi Toa high up into the air) …number three!”
Then all the number "3"s sprint into the centre
and try to be the first to catch the Poi Toa before it hits the
ground. The Poi Toa thrower needs to throw accurately and to perfectly
time the calls. The Poi Toa can only be caught on the rope (not
the head or "ki" part) and if two players both catch
the Poi Toa at the same time the player who caught it closest
to the end of the rope wins.
Offer some type of inducement to the players for encouragement
and/or have a competition – e.g. first to make three catches.
The Poi Toa thrower can also experiment by throwing two or more
Poi Toa up at once (make sure the Poi Toa separate during flight)
and/or call out more than one number.
With small groups a variation is to start by calling out the
individual’s names, e.g. “Rakura!”, and throw
a single Poi Toa up into the air, to give each person an opportunity
to practice catching and to experience initial success.
The circle method is also a great way for players to get to know
each others names – use just one Poi Toa and have players
call out the name of the person they are going to pass to.
Have the players
get into five equal teams, and to line up facing you.
Ask the front
people in each line to come forward and, in a straight line, have
them get into a crouched sprint start position (or it could be
from a lying on their
stomachs position, etc). Then have them go through
the “on your marks…set…Go!” sprinters
While you are calling this, spin two Poi Toa, and release them
at the same time you say “Go!”. The sprinters
race out, 15-20 metres is a good distance, and try to catch a Poi
Toa. Give one point for each Poi Toa caught and play until one
side has 20 points.
Another variation on the sprint/catch theme is to have, for example,
six players lined up in the sprint formation – on “Go!” throw
five Poi Toa up into the air. Players are to catch only one Poi
Toa each). Each time one player drops off (or more if catches
are not made) until the final, when there are just
two sprinters left to compete for one Poi Toa
This is a modern adaptation of the traditional
game called Horohopu. Playing on a full sized basketball gymnasium
court is ideal.
There are two sides which play in opposite directions. Each team
tries to score on their respective end gym wall. The object of
the game is to have fun and to score more points than your opponents.
Players from both
sides spread out around the gym. One side gets to throw off. One
player with the Poi Toa stands inside the five metre zone (see
the "handling" section),
of the end gym wall they are defending, and spins the Poi Toa – they
then release it, throwing it, towards a team mate.
Players move freely
about the gym, trying to get into catching & scoring positions.
Players try to catch the Poi Toa on its rope.
» NB : they must not catch
the ki, before the ki (round Poi Toa head) touches the gym floor.
(or more) players catch the Poi Toa at the same time, the possession
goes to the player who makes the catch the closest to the end
of the Poi Toa rope.
Once a player has made a successful catch they must keep spinning
the Poi Toa until they release it.
» NB : the poi must be
kept twirling/spinning at all times.
Once the catch is made other
players have to keep three paces distant until a throw is made.
The player quickly throws the Poi Toa in the direction of another
team mate. The player with the poi cannot walk or run, but they
can pivot around.
Usually cones are used to mark a line five metres
out from the wall – no throws can be made to a team mate
within this five metre zone.
The method for scoring.
A player must have one hand on the end gym wall and successfully
catch the Poi Toa with their free hand.
If this is done correctly (see the "handling" section)
it is worth one point.
|Hand-Overs (giving the Poi Toa to the opposite team)
|Occur when - the Poi
Toa is not thrown/released quickly enough : the Poi Toa stops spinning
(when a player has it in their possession); the Poi Toa ki contacts
the gym floor; a player walks while holding the Poi Toa; there is
sufficient reason to merit it being done (ref/player discretion)
and after a team scores.
|Many thanks to Daisy Hemana, Eruera Hemana and Harko
Brown for these texts and photos.
Please be aware that this website is a personal
. It would therefore be wise to cross check information
which I have presented here. A list of many official New Zealand
history sites may be found within my Links