AMOKURA
A student in Haare’s class
described the Maori language as “ ... te
reo gave me another feathered wing to fly.”
In Oceania, there's a bird
called Te Amokura. It is greatly valued for its beautiful bright-red plumage
and its elegance in flight. It is rarely seen in New Zealand now, but for
most of us there are only its feathers seen in feathered cloaks that
remain in Museums. - two steps away from paradise.
Some still fear the fate of te reo in its flight for survival from extinction. Some knockers told us te reo will decline to a minority ceremonial language like a museum relic that enshrines the dead of a past glory. Is te reo safe?
The danger of irretrievable loss is greatest here in Aotearoa New Zealand which, like any plague the danger is progressive and contagious. As with other killing diseases, it thrives on ignorance and neglect. Carl Dodson, a recent academic to visit here, begged us to preserve the Maori language as a unique heritage of New Zealand. “ If it dies”, he reminded us, “It will be through neglect by both Maori and Pakeha because its only home, if it is to survive is here.”
Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori has been and gone but not forgotten. The Maori Language has survived. Slowly! Grudgingly slow!
Some still fear the fate of te reo in its flight for survival from extinction. Some knockers told us te reo will decline to a minority ceremonial language like a museum relic that enshrines the dead of a past glory. Is te reo safe?
The danger of irretrievable loss is greatest here in Aotearoa New Zealand which, like any plague the danger is progressive and contagious. As with other killing diseases, it thrives on ignorance and neglect. Carl Dodson, a recent academic to visit here, begged us to preserve the Maori language as a unique heritage of New Zealand. “ If it dies”, he reminded us, “It will be through neglect by both Maori and Pakeha because its only home, if it is to survive is here.”
Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori has been and gone but not forgotten. The Maori Language has survived. Slowly! Grudgingly slow!
Maori activism to recognise te reo came in 1975
with Te Hikoi from The Far North to the steps of parliament. Whina
Cooper, Syd and Hannah Jackson petitioned government to recognise the Maori
Language in statute.
Eventually, te reo was given official status under the Maori Language Act 1987.
This was seen as a great break through. The protagonists argued that it wasn't just about language or education that was at stake but personal and national identity through the taonga of ancestors. They reminded the nation that the cycle of alienation is problematic and expensive to break. I commend some eighty-thousand non-Maori New Zealanders today learning te reo.
“At thirteen I continued to learn te reo because it gave me so much pleasure. I was inspired enough to carry on at varsity. Te reo gave me a connection to the land that runs deep for me. This is for me a gateway to the story of our land, our history, our identity as a people drawing upon the rich cultures of Britain and New Zealand. Te reo gave me another feathered wing to fly.” (Anna)
Let us heighten and keep what is Good in a world growing small every day. We are sometimes submerged under a tidal wave of Free Market propaganda.
Eventually, te reo was given official status under the Maori Language Act 1987.
This was seen as a great break through. The protagonists argued that it wasn't just about language or education that was at stake but personal and national identity through the taonga of ancestors. They reminded the nation that the cycle of alienation is problematic and expensive to break. I commend some eighty-thousand non-Maori New Zealanders today learning te reo.
“At thirteen I continued to learn te reo because it gave me so much pleasure. I was inspired enough to carry on at varsity. Te reo gave me a connection to the land that runs deep for me. This is for me a gateway to the story of our land, our history, our identity as a people drawing upon the rich cultures of Britain and New Zealand. Te reo gave me another feathered wing to fly.” (Anna)
Let us heighten and keep what is Good in a world growing small every day. We are sometimes submerged under a tidal wave of Free Market propaganda.
Allow
ourselves, especially our kids to know what is precious and wear it as taonga, like
an outer garment, as a badge of honour if you like.
Find a badge in life and live it.
One day, with your help and
our collective support for a rare and beautiful taonga, we may once more see the full
plumage of Te Amokura soaring above our skies.
Note.
According to ethnologist Elsdon Best, Te Amokura, the red tropical bird was prized by Maori as a rare taonga for its
long red plumage, also a valuable item in barter. Its visits to New Zealand were very rare either blown here or wrecked in a storm..