The Interlocking of History, Identity, and te reo Māori: Language Revitalisation in a Colonial Context

Abstract

The relationships that individuals have with society contribute to the identities that we develop and use to make sense of who we are and how we belong. Due to the historical and ongoing impacts of colonial harm in Aotearoa New Zealand, many Māori are in the process of learning their ancestral language as a second language in formalised language courses. Māori language classes continue to see a rise in the numbers of those wanting to formally learn te reo Māori. The rise in language learning uptake is directly related to the ways in which Māori see te reo Māori as a vehicle for cultural identity development. This qualitative study involved interviews with 57 Māori with varying levels of Māori language proficiency, and highlights some of the key challenges that indigenous ancestral language learners contend with to achieve increased proficiency levels in a colonial settler society. Some of the challenges Māori language learners expressed included structural racism (including within the education system), the devaluation of te reo Māori, and challenges surrounding whakamā that occur within the language learning process. This study explores how a sociological lens can illuminate the ways in which the experiences of Māori, as ancestral language learners, are managed and interpreted within the wider context of colonisation.