AMOKURA
A student in Haare’s Te Reo 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 on the feathered cloaks that remain
in Museums. - two steps away from paradise.
Some feared the fate of Te Ro in its flight to survival. 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?
While there are over 80,000 plus non-Maori now enrolled in Te Reo classes around the country, the first language of New Zealand isn't safe.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori has been and gone but should we not continue and make every week a week for all things precious? The danger of loss resides here in Aotearoa, as the loss of Te Amokura in Oceania is a loss to the identity and education across Oceania.
Some feared the fate of Te Ro in its flight to survival. 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?
While there are over 80,000 plus non-Maori now enrolled in Te Reo classes around the country, the first language of New Zealand isn't safe.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori has been and gone but should we not continue and make every week a week for all things precious? The danger of loss resides here in Aotearoa, as the loss of Te Amokura in Oceania is a loss to the identity and education across Oceania.
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. “if it is to survive it is here.”
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. They remonstrated and told a nation that the cycle of alienation is problematic and expensive to break.
“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 their taonga like an outer garment, as a badge of honour. Find a purpose in life and live it’
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. They remonstrated and told a nation that the cycle of alienation is problematic and expensive to break.
“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 their taonga like an outer garment, as a badge of honour. Find a purpose in life and live it’
Isn't it true that those
who are dispossessed of their mana become possessed by it?
Maybe, just maybe we can
once again see a battered taonga rise and soar above our skies.
Note.
According to 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 are
very rare either blown here or wrecked in a storm..