Why learning te reo Maori is more than just learning a language.
Tena koutou ki nga kaitiaki o te taiao.
‘Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori’ (The language is the life force of the mana Māori.)
If the language dies, as some predict, what do we have left to us? Then, I ask our own people, who are we?’ The Māori Battalion veteran and Ngāpuhi leader Sir James Hēnare posed these questions in 1985 when he spoke to the Waitangi Tribunal as it heard the Māori language claim.
Introduction
It’s difficult to write anything about te reo Maori without acknowledging our past.
Like many indigenous cultures colonization played a devastating role in the destruction and near extinction of te reo Maori. As a country we’ve come very close to losing our language altogether and although we’ve come a long way, te reo Maori continues to be under threat. It has taken a tremendous amount of perseverance, dedication and hard mahi by many staunch te reo Maori advocates, whanau, hapu and iwi to ensure te reo is kept alive and thriving. Without their dedication and knowledge we wouldn’t have had the revitalization and the resources we have today that have enabled many people, along with myself, to embark on learning te reo Maori. To the people who have been and continue to be strong te reo Maori advocates and champions, tena rawa atu koutou e nga rangatira, kei runga noa atu!
Learning te reo Maori is a journey
When you whakapapa (explore genealogy) Maori, learning te reo Maori is a lot more than just learning a language, it is the gateway to understanding who you are, where you’ve come from and where you’re going.
Being Maori and learning te reo as a second language also comes with a wide range of feelings. For me, these can be a combination of shame, anger, guilt, frustration, jealousy, a misunderstanding of who you are, shared with immense pride and a dedication and motivation to ensure that the next generation don’t have to suffer from those same feelings. It’s a quite the journey alright, but one that is a must.
It’s common to hear people in Aotearoa refer to being on a ‘reo Maori journey’. For me my understanding of this reference is to show that 1. You’re a second language learner 2. It gives a disclaimer for when you muck things up! And 3. To acknowledge you are continuing to learn and grow with te reo Maori and you always will be.
My ‘reo Maori journey’ so far, like many, has been a stop, start type one – I didn’t grow up with te reo, but I’ve been encouraged, especially by my mother and whanau, to ensure I learn. I’ve learnt te reo in various places – high school, University, through various night classes, from differing whanau members and now alongside my son and niece as they both attend kohanga reo.
Cultural responsibility
In all honesty, at times I’ve felt like I can’t get beyond ‘kei te haere au ki te toa’ you go through stages of thinking its too hard, what’s the point, I’m not getting anywhere and you’ll want to give up, and I definitely have at times.
Having my son and being dedicated to him not having to experience those same feelings of struggle and guilt has been a huge driver to ensure I dedicate and commit to te reo being normalized and spoken in our lives. Forcing myself to speak te reo to my son is the one thing that has challenged me to be confident in speaking and to get over those negative feelings and struggles. My son is extremely forgiving – I’ll say one thing to him that I know I haven’t got right, so I’ll correct myself and say it again, sometimes over and over, he never cringes or tells me off, even if I’ve told him to ‘fetch a book’ in about 5 different ways! Although my son is only young, I’m enormously proud that his first words have all been in te reo and that he continues to push us to ensure we support and nurture him in te reo Maori being his first language.
Its extremely important to me that my children attend Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa, to ensure they’re in learning environments that are embedded in te ao Maori and mātauranga Maori, to ensure they have a strong understanding of who they are and to stand confidently as Maori and descendants of their tupuna.
This is not to say that you can’t feel or be these things without kohanga reo and/or kura kaupapa – not at all. I just know for us, they are going to be of serious help. I also know as a parent I have a responsibility to ensure I can support my children in these learning environments - so even though I think its fair to say I’ve come along way with my own reo, I still have a long way to go to ensure I can be the role model I need to be for my children. It ain’t gona be an easy ride, but it’s a non negotiable that we as a whanau commit to this journey, we have to, for ourselves, our tupuna and most of all our future generations.
Mauri Ora
Tui Rani Dunlop
He uri tenei no Rahiri, Ko Nga puhi nui tonu te iwi.