“Testing te reo”
Check out Poia Rewi’s research on the revitalization of te reo Māori in this extended article in the latest issue of the Otago Bulletin.
Success at the Ngā Kupu Ora Book Awards
I te Rāmere nei i tū ai Ngā Kupu Ora Book Awards, ā kei Te Hua o Te Reo Māori te wini mō te paraihe Reo. He mea ētita tēnei pukapuka e Ahorangi Rāwinia Higgins (he kaiako ia nō Te Tumu i ngā rā o mua) rātou ko Ahorangi Tuarua Poia Rewi (koia te Tīni o Te Tumu ināianei) ko Vincent Olsen-Reeder.
The Ngā Kupu Ora Book Awards were held on Friday. The Value of the Māori Language: Te Hua o Te Reo Māori, co-edited by former Te Tumu staff member Associate Professor Rāwinia Higgins, current Te Tumu Dean Associate Professor Poia Rewi, and Vincent Olsen-Reeder, took out the Te Reo prize.
Kua riro anō i a Poia Rewi he paraihe mō āna mahi whakaputa pukapuka.
He pukapuka tēnei “that aims to engage and reawaken Māori consciousness on the value of Māori language won the Te Reo prize. The Value of the Māori Language: Te Hua o Te Reo Māori draws on research from more than 30 contributors about the value of the Māori language and their aspirations for its future direction.” Click here for more details of the awards.
He mihi nunui ki ngā ētita, ki ngā kaituhi hoki o ngā pukapuka i toa, ā, ki ngā pukapuka katoa e whakatairanga ana i te kaupapa o te mātauranga Māori.
Dr Paringatai as keynote speaker at Tuia Te Ako hui
Te Tumu lecturer, Dr Karyn Paringatai, will be giving a keynote address at the Tuia Te Ako hui to be held at at Te Kete Ika, Lincoln University, Lincoln, Canterbury, 8 -10 July 2015. This hui will bring together the diverse Māori tertiary whānau to discuss, debate and challenge current issues relating to Māori success in tertiary education. Karyn, who won the Prime Minister’s Supreme Teaching Award last year, will be talking about her innovative teaching methods of “teaching in the dark”.
Click here for biographies of the Keynote Speakers.
Better than Australians?
Nathan Albury suggests that Pākehā have embraced the Māori language better than white Australians have supported their indigenous languages. In an opinion piece for SBS Nathan makes this claims.
But the Australians have done so little to protect their languages, it’s not hard being better than them in this regard. And te reo Māori still needs everyone’s support. Me āwhi tonu te reo Māori, me tautoko, me kōrero.
Nathan is at Oslo University, but is supervised by Te Tumu’s Lyn Carter.
Attitudes of NZ youth to Māori-language revitalization
What do young people think about the future of te reo Māori?
Nathan Albury is undertaking research on “folk linguistics”, that is, what do ordinary people think about language use. Nathan was formerly here at Te Tumu, but is now close to completing his PhD at the University of Oslo on folk linguistics relating to the revitalization of te reo Māori in New Zealand, and the Saami language in Norway. Te Tumu’s Dr Lyn Carter remains as one of his supervisors.
Nathan has recently written a short pamphlet with some of his findings relating to te reo Māori. He has circulated it to government departments and political parties. In particular he has had a good response from Education Minister Hon. Hekia Parata, and from the Green Party. Click on the link to read Nathan’s pamphlet.Tō Tātou Reo
Te Tumu postgrads graduating this week
Te Tumu would like to congratulate four of our postgraduate students graduating this week. Their research topics showcase the wide range of postgraduate research being undertaken in Te Tumu.
Clara Pau (Samoan) completed a MA in Indigenous Development. Professor Paul Tapsell was her supervisor.
Abstract: As digital media pervades the institutions and infrastructures of contemporary society with new inventions, new applications and new devices, so too does it pervade daily lived experiences. The social networking site Facebook.com is one such application which is highly integrated into the daily habits of individuals worldwide. The daily lived experiences of an individual contribute, according to the theorists in support of constructivism, to an individual’s ethnic identity. It has also been suggested that the reverse is true: ethnic identity also contributes to daily life. Despite the ubiquity of Facebook and the extensive writings on ethnic identity, there has been a limited contribution by scholars on how ethnic identity is manifested in and informs Facebook use. This thesis examines the daily Facebook use of seven Samoan individuals located in New Zealand. The thesis argues that key elements of their ethnic identities are manifested in and expressed through their use of the streamlined photograph, timeline post and friending Facebook functions. The thesis explains these three themes in terms of three N’s: Nationalism, Natives (and Immigrants) and Nostalgia.
Quentin Roake‘s (Pākehā) research for his MIndS (Master of Indigenous Studies) looked at “The Stabilising Influence of Tauihu and Taurapa and the translation of Māori Waka into modern forms”, with Professor Karen Nero as supervisor.
Abstract: This multi-faced archival, interview and actions research project sought to understand the practical function of tauihu and taurapa in moderating canoe motion, and their relevance to new generation waka. Knowledge of the dynamic stabilising role of the prow and stern carvings of Māori waka has dropped out of conscious use but still sits within the built and oral tradition. This study forms a key part of Nga Waka Tangata kaupapa, a project developing contemporary forms of Māori waka in collaboration with Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr. Our approach has focused on maintaining the lineage of tikanga and of mātauranga within the construction of a new form of waka which is intended to be used as the vehicle for a range of social, cultural and economic initiatives. The research method took the form of a cyclical dialogue that explored understanding from the oral tradition through korero with waka tohunga, in conjunction with analysis of historic hulls, images (moving and still) and text. Findings were fed back into the on-going discussion. The first iteration of a contemporary waka was developed concurrently, built and tested with findings also contributing to on-going dialogue. This process culminated in a second generation design that embodies the research findings. Theoretical perspectives of Friere, Lash and Bhamba informed our approaches to the research. These results have made a significant contribution to the overarching kaupapa to reinitialise the fullest expression possible of traditional knowledge within contemporary waka culture. In the wider context it has aided in revaluing the significance of intellectual discovery through action, revaluing the significance of oral history, and promoting recognition of the opportunity that the breadth of this project presents to recreate the social and economic capital of Aotearoa New Zealand.
George (Hōri) Barsdell (Ngāti Awa, Ngaiterangi; Te Whānau-a-Apanui; Ngāti Rangitihi (Te Arawa)) is graduating with Honours in Māori Studies. His project, with Dr Jim Williams as supervisor, investigated ‘The Significance of Old Pā Sites for Modern Day Māori’.
Abstract: This dissertation proposes to highlight the significance pā sites have for modern day Māori, with reflection on the history of pā. Although these pā sites have been abandoned and many ruined or forgotten with the changing face of the land, they still hold importance for contemporary Māori. What this dissertation aims to achieve is show the status of pā sites today, examine the historical explanations for this status, and bring forth the importance they have for Māori in the 21st Century.
Tāwini White (Ngāi Tahu / Kai Tahu, Te Rarawa) also completed an Honours in Māori Studies. Her topic, supervised by Associate Professor Poia Rewi, is entitled ‘He Manawa Reo, He Manawa Rarawa’.
Abstract: This dissertation aims to delve into whether Te Rarawa Māori Language speakers place value on the Te Rarawa dialect. I specifically wish to review and compare Te Rarawa views on the value of dialect and determine the value the dialect has in Māori language maintenance and acquisition. A comparison will be made between native Māori language speakers and second Māori language speakers to establish whether the value of dialect actually differs across these cohorts, and if so, what might these be? The main themes of the questions include the following:
* Do native Māori language speakers and second language learners value regional dialect?
* How is Te Rarawa dialect maintained and taught, and acquired?
* Is the Māori language becoming homogenised and in doing so are Māori losing iwi and hapū identity?
Seminar: The Folk Linguistics of Māori Language Revitalisation
Nathan Albury, PhD student, will be giving a seminar in Te Tumu on 2.30-3.30pm, Tuesday 18 November in R3S10 (3rd floor, Te Tumu). Please note that this is a different day and venue to usual.
Nathan’s paper, The Folk Linguistics of Māori Language Revitalisation, “applies the folk linguistics of language policy in respect to language revitalisation as a policy project. It reports preliminary findings from research that sought to compare what young indigenous and non-indigenous youth in contemporary New Zealand claim to know about language revitalisation as a policy process, what attitudes and beliefs these youth have towards activities and themes aimed at revitalising the Māori language, and how their knowledge and beliefs manifest into folk linguistic performance when these youth are positioned as hypothetical language policy bosses of the New Zealand government.”
For the full abstract click here, or on the “Seminars” page on the left
Māori-language research in Teaching
It is always good when students can use their skills and research to produce a resource to benefit the university. MAOR427 “He Tuhituhinga” is a 400-level Māori history paper that looks at historical Māori-language texts. All the work and discussion is conducted in the Māori language. This year one of their assignments was the translation of a text, selected by Jeanette Wikaira, Kaituhituhi Ratonga Māori at the Hocken Library, was an account by Hauāuru Taipari of Ngāti Maru about a visit to Ngāti Awa and Whakatōhea in 1864. The students divided the text up, and transcribed and translated it. This was then given back to the Hocken Library as an accompanying resource to the original text.
He wāhanga nō te tuhinga a Hauāuru Taipari.
Fragment of the text by Hauāuru Taipari.
He mea tino pai kia whakamahia e ngā ākonga ō rātou pūmanawa me tā rātou rangahau hei whakaputa mai i te rauemi, hei painga mō te whare wānanga. He pepa hītori, he pepa tau-tuawhā te pepa MAOR427 “He Tuhituhinga” e āta tirohia nei ētahi tuhinga reo-Māori o neherā. E mahia ana ngā mahi katoa i roto i te reo Māori. He mahi whakapākehā tētahi o ngā aromatawai. Nō te tau nei, ka whiriwhiria e Jeanette Wikaira, e te Kaituhituhi Ratonga Māori o te Uare Hākena te tuhinga nei, nā Hauāuru Taipari o Ngāti Maru i tuhi mō tāna haere ki a Ngāti Awa rāua ko Whakatōhea i te tau 1864. Wehewehea ana te tuhinga e ngā ākonga, tuhia ana ngā kupu Māori ki te rorohiko, whakapākehātia ana. Kātahi ēnei ka tukuna atu ki te Uare Hākena hei tākoha, hei rauemi hoki i te taha o ngā kupu ake a te kaituhi.
New book on the value of the Māori Language
Te Tumu staff member, Associate Professor Poia Rewi and Professor Rāwinia Higgins of Te Kawa a Māui (Victoria University of Wellington) have released an edited collection, The Value of the Māori Language: Te Hua o te Reo Māori, with Huia Publishers. The book features 25 essays from an illustrious field of Māori commentators, responding to the question ‘What is the value of the Māori language?’ more than twenty five years after the passing of the Māori Language Act.
The book was launched recently in Wellington at an event attended by many of the big names of Māori-language education.
This publication is one output emerging from Poia and Rāwinia’s three-year project, Te Kura Reo – Waiora, research funded by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.
