Families of Balclutha Kindergarten lined up for a feast recently as a way to learn more about the different cultures within the kindergarten as part of its annual plan, ‘‘Ko Wai Matau’’, or ‘‘Who are we?’’. Families from the Samoan community within the kindergarten put on an umu, an above-ground oven of hot stones to cook food that is traditionally wrapped in coconut fronds or banana leaves, but in this case foil did the job. The process of the umu and the foods being cooked were explained and demonstrated. Balclutha Kindergarten has families from many cultures, including Dutch, Indian, Croatian, Malaysian, Ma ¯ori, Bosnian, Scottish and Irish. Teacher Faylyn Milne said she was ‘‘proud to have been a part of the process which was a huge success’’ and looked forward to learning about more cultures over the year.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED/REPORT: EVELYN THORN
