The Māori language revival is a movement to promote, reinforce and strengthen the use of
te reo Māori, the
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
language. Primarily in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, but also in places with large numbers of expatriate New Zealanders (such as
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
), the movement aims to increase the use of Māori in the home, in education, government, and business. The movement is part of a broader revival of
tikanga Māori
Tikanga is a Māori concept incorporating practices and values from mātauranga Māori, Māori knowledge. Tikanga is translated into the English language with a wide range of meanings — culture, custom, ethic, etiquette, fashion, formali ...
(Māori culture, cultural habits and practices) in what has been called the
Māori renaissance
The Māori renaissance is the revival in fortunes of the Māori of New Zealand beginning in the 1970s. Until 1914, and possibly later, the perception of the Māori race, although dying out, was capable and worthy of saving, but only within a Europ ...
.
Until
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, most Māori people spoke Māori as their first language. But by the 1980s, fewer than 20 per cent of Māori spoke the language well enough to be classed as native speakers. The causes of the decline included the switch from using Māori to using English compulsorily in schools and increasing urbanisation, which disconnected younger generations from their extended families—in particular their grandparents, who traditionally played a large part in family life. As a result, many Māori children failed to learn their ancestral language, and generations of non-Māori-speaking Māori emerged.
In response, Māori
leaders
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
initiated Māori-language recovery-programs such as the Kōhanga Reo ("
language nests") movement, which, beginning in 1982, immersed infants in Māori from infancy to school age. In 1989, official support was given for
Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...
—primary and secondary Māori-language immersion schools.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
A government-sponsored initiative, , Māori Language Week, has been celebrated since 1975 and is intended to encourage New Zealanders to support
te reo Māori.
Māori Language Act 1987 and the Māori Language Commission
The
Māori Language Act 1987
The Māori Language Act 1987 was a piece of legislation passed by the Parliament of New Zealand that gave official language status to the Māori language (), and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as courts. It also establis ...
was passed as a response to the
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...
finding that the Māori language was a ''
taonga
''Taonga'' or ''taoka'' (in South Island Māori) is a Maori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current d ...
'', a treasure or valued possession, under the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
.
The Act gave te reo Māori
official-language status, and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as in court. It also established the
Māori Language Commission
The Māori Language Commission ( mi, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) is an autonomous Crown entity in New Zealand set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 with the following functions:
# To initiate, develop, co-ordinate, review, advise upon, an ...
(initially called ''Te Komihana Mo Te Reo Māori'' but later renamed ''Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori'') to promote the language and provide advice on it.
Kōhanga Reo
Kōhanga Reo () is a
whānau
Whānau () is Māori for extended family. It is also used in everyday New Zealand English, as well as in official publications.
In Māori society, the whānau is also a political unit, below the levels of hapū (subtribe) and iwi (tribe or nati ...
(family) development and
language-revitalisation initiative grounded in
Māori cultural principles and ideals. It facilitates the growth and development of
mokopuna (grandchildren) through the transmission of Māori language, knowledge and culture. The kōhanga reo movement operates from the Māori philosophical world view and is principally guided by
kaumātua (respected elders).
Individual Kōhanga Reo are autonomously run by their respective whānau, which consists of a "collective group of teachers, parents, local elders, and members of the Māori community". While funded by governmental quarterly grants from the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, Kōhanga Reo often also charge additional fees to cover operational costs. These fees, determined by each whānau, are generally comparable to or less expensive than traditional child-care. Conducted entirely in te reo Māori, a kōhanga reo is an environment where 0–6-year-olds, kaumātua and whānau spend time together talking, playing, praying and learning. Daily activities may take place anywhere that is safe and warm including
marae
A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
(traditional community meeting places), converted homes or purpose-built centres.
Emerging in the late 1970s at the direction of kaumātua, kōhanga reo was an immediate and urgent response to the decline of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
Jean Puketapu
Jean Gloria Edith Puketapu or Jean Puketapu-Waiwai (26 July 1931 – 31 July 2012) was a Ngāi Tūhoe Māori language native speaker and co-founder of the first kōhanga reo.
Puketapu was one of thirteen children of Haami and Te Ngaroahiahi Waiw ...
and
Iritana Tawhiwhirangi were among the early leaders when the first kōhanga reo was founded in
Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata () is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island.
Origin of name
The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer ...
in 1982.
Three years later there were over 300 operating.
The success of kōhanga reo is such that they have been followed by the establishment of
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
s and
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
s (
Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...
) where Māori is the primary language of instruction. The role of Maori language in education in New Zealand is enshrined in the Education Act 1989.
The kōhanga reo concept has led to other before-school initiatives in New Zealand that instruct in Pacific languages, e.g.
Fijian,
Rarotongan,
Samoan, and
Tongan and other countries adopting a similar concept. A notable example being ''
Pūnana Leo
Pūnana Leo (; often translated as "language nest") are private, non-profit preschools run by families, in which the Hawaiian language is the language of instruction and administration.
Initially opened illegally, the first Pūnana Leo opened i ...
'' established in Hawaii to revitalise the indigenous
Hawaiian language
Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...
.
Politics
Election campaigns by the
Māori Party
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
often feature increased roles for reo Māori. In
the 2011 election, the party wanted to require that all secondary schools offer the language as an option to every student.
Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...
are Māori-language-immersion schools.
See also
*
List of revived languages
A revived language is one that, having experienced near or complete language extinction as either a spoken or written language, has been intentionally revived and has regained some of its former status.
The most frequent reason for extinction i ...
*
Māori Television
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
*
Gaelic revival
*
Livonian language revival
The Livonian language, spoken for centuries in Latvia, gradually declined until the death of its last fluent native speaker, , in 2013. Nevertheless, today there are several ethnic Livonians that are striving for the revival of the language, wi ...
References
External links
Te Kōhanga Reo National TrustLanguage Revitalisation—
Te Māngai Pāho
Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcast Funding Agency) is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for the promotion of the Māori language and Māori culture by providing funding for Māori-language programming on radio and television.
In 198 ...
Aha Pūnana Leo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maori Language Revival
Māori education in New Zealand
Language revival
Revival, Maori language