Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea | My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.
Dr Tīmoti Kāretu.
The above whakataukī appropriately launches Te wiki o te reo Māori or Māori language week this week, being created by Dr Tīmoti Kāretu who was knighted for his services to te reo Māori.
How are you going with your reo Māori journey? Luckily there are plenty of resources to help you along the way in Ara’s Ao Māori Subject Guide. Resources include:
- Simple pepeha templates
- Māori language apps
- A guide to set up access to the Māori keyboard so you can add macrons when typing in reo.
I often find waiata are a great way to build my reo with the music, rhythm and rhyme supporting memorization and of course if you have younger members in your whānau this is a fun activity to do together. Here is a simple waiata to help learn the days of the week in te reo Māori sung to the tune of the Banana Boat (Day O) song by Harry Belafonte for all those oldies out there who might recognise this melody.
If you have aced te waiata mō ngā rā o te wiki you might like to learn the maramataka or months of the year in te reo which Miss Tuwharetoa sings to the tune of another oldie Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka which you can find on You Tube.
Nō reira, best of luck with your reo Māori journey and remember every little bit counts.
Whāngaia ka tupu, ka puawai
Whakataukī
That which is nurtured, blossoms and grows
Ara Library Blog 