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Maori Language Revitalization
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Dr. Gregory offers the gift of dance at a Koharga reo (Maori language nest). |
The Maori have enjoyed the greatest success of any indigenous group in revitalizing their own language and dialects. While the results of Maori revitalization have been presented at conferences and published, none of that prepared me for the actuality of the revitalization efforts or the spirit of the Maori people.
I was the first foreign linguist and Native American to come to New Zealand to study this success. Schools and marae rolled out the red carpet for me. I was treated like a princess. I came to New Zealand prepared to interview about 36 people about their experiences with learning the Maori language. I was hoping the get a small corpus for linguistic/rhetorical analysis.
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Dr. George Ann Gregory, left , with Jeanette King, head of the School of Maori and Indigenous Studies, University of Canterbury, Christ Church, New Zealand. |
I wound up interviewing twice that many with more who were willing. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 72 years. They include those who learned Maori as a Second Language and those who grew up speaking Maori. I am in the process of transcribing these interviews now.
During the interview process, I was able to meet some of the leaders in Maori revitalization and interview Maori from communities on both the North Island—
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A mother and her child working a puzzle in Maori. |
Waiwhetu Marae, Nga Kuaka Kohana Reo, Te Wherekura O Rakaumanga Manga, Kura Kaupapa Te Ara Rima, Raglan Area Schools, Toku Mapihi Maurea Kura Kaupapa Maori, and Te Wananga O Raukawa—and South Island—Dunedin Ngai Tahu Development Corporation, Christchurch College of Education, University of Canterbury School of Maori and Indigenous Studies, and St. Phillip’s Maori Anglican Church.
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Marae (cultural center) at St. Philip’s Maori Anglican Church on North
Island. |
Additionally, I visited schools to see the different models being used for revitalizing the Maori language. I was impressed by the creative responses of Maori communities to this problem.
Since returning to the US, I have created a 23 minute DVD, entitled Thirty Years After: From Köhanga Reo to Wänanga, which shows some of what the Maori have accomplished in the thirty years of their efforts. I also started an e-newsletter entitled Anumpa Achukma/Good News: Language Loss Can Be Reversed. This newsletter is sent to an international audience interested in language revitalization and heralds successful approaches to language revitalization. In my teaching, I have tried to implement the graciousness and kindness I learned from the Maori.
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