Its Maori Language Week again, and as always its a pleasure to see our second (of three) official language get some time in the sun. Dutiful shout-out to Maori TV, which continues to pump out great homespun programming on a ridiculously tiny budget, and has become both part of the furniture and a respected and appreciated channel even for us Pakeha. Nice one.
Student mag Salient has run its traditional issue almost entirely in Maori (next week, like every year, will be a dozen letters abusing the editors for this) and it includes a little gem of an interview with the Maori Party’s bovver boy in Parliament, Hone Harawira. (Quote sanitised so it isn’t blocked by the autofilters at some folks’ workplaces.)
It’s different here. The reason why it’s different here is that there’s not an indigenous person in the world as stroppy as your f===in Maori. Dare anybody try and ignore us mate. You know what it’s like aye? Anybody blink badly in your… f===in pound them… when I was marching aye we just wouldn’t stand for it. I’ve been to Hawaii… they’re a lovely people the Hawaiian people. I see them accept things that we wouldn’t stand for over here aye. I say, ‘…F=== me! If anybody tried that to me at home I’d f===in drop him…’
I love the New Zealand Parliament under proportional representation, I really do.
Also this week, Google is adding Maori to its display languages, alongside such other native tongues as “Klingon” and “Elmer Fudd”. I just tried to change my preferences in honour of the week but it isn’t live yet. Neato.
(And maybe next year I’ll even try to learn some reo. That’d be good.)
Just cause it isn’t live doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Try http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=mi&btnG=Rapu
I was embarrassed when I lived in Japan at how many times students asked me to say something in Maori, and all I could manage was some counting from one to ten and kia ora.
I enjoyed learning a few phrases at TCOL, and would be keen to learn more should a gift-wrapped opportunity present itself 🙂
Ko Matt toku ingoa. Na Poneke ahau. Kei te kanikani ahau!
Ka Pai!
This is probably the longest Māori phrase I know: “Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra” – “This is the hairy man who has made the sun shine again for me”.
(hoping I got the spelling right)
I did two Te Reo courses through work… I still can’t speak Maori with any confidence but I would like my kids to… haven’t worked out how I’ll achieve that though!
Ko Te Whanganui-a-Tara te moana,
Ko Matairangi te maunga,
No Poneke, no Te Kuiti ahau.
Ko Clara raua ko Hazel oku tipuna wahine,
Ko Walter raua ko Norman oku tipuna tama,
Ko Bruce toku matua,
Ko Anne toku whaea,
Ko Nik raua ko Mark aku tungane,
Ko James raua ko Thomas aku tamaiti,
Ko Karen taku ingoa.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
oops… sorry Morgue must have hit post twice!
[sorted – morgue]
That’s glossing over a few things like the relative strategic importance of Hawaii to the US and NZ to the UK, and the ease with which the resources of each colonising country could be deployed. Maybe the Hawaiians of the 19th century were just as stroppy but got hit harder.
al: thanks!
stephen: yeah, true – Harawira is enthusiastically selling a mythology really isn’t he? “We are a hardened warrior people and that’s why we can still stand strong…” ignoring all the other varied reasons why this end result might have come about. That said, I don’t think he’s entirely wrong about it – the British definitely had a lot of respect for Maori as warriors and, perhaps, for Maori warfare. Without that respect perhaps the colonisation of NZ would have admitted even more unpleasantness?
I don’t understand why the tag bit at the end of questions in NZ english is getting written “aye” more frequently. I’ve always written it (and until recently seen it) as “eh”.
“Aye” to me rhymes with “eye” and is a way to say “yes” that usually comes up opposed to “nay”.
“Eh” might seem like it rhymes with “heh” to those familiar with it but fucken whatever, it’s written English.
Sorry, vaguely on point, there’s theorising that “eh” entered NZ English from Maori, where “ne” at the end of sentences is used to create tag questions.
aksjflksdajf
sd
fsda
f
f
dsaf
f
Random guy./.
Yay for Maori Language week! I love the little free pamphlets with phrases. I also wish to find the time to learn more Reo, maybe next year.
(Last year I actually spent a week relieving Maori Language classes! Madness).
Michael: yeah, the widespread adoption of “aye” as the spelling has niggled me too. In my youth I saw “ay” a lot, and “eh” is the spelling with provenance, but “aye” seemed to come out of nowhere for me. Like you it doesn’t sound right in my head.
Maybe its a sideeffect of texting/internet allowing written versions of yoof language to stabilise across a whole community instead of being determined locally?
I think I usually write eh, eh?
Niggled. Hee hee.