August 03, 2022
Kuki Airani look to Māori for language tips
It’s Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week – and a Cook Islands academic says islanders are looking to Māori in Aotearoa for tips on preserving and reviving their language.
Caleb Marsters from the University of Auckland says a lot can be learned from the way Māori revitalized their language and culture over the past forty years.
Only 9 per cent of Cook Islanders speak Cook Islands Māori, and it’s classified as vulnerable by UNESCO.
“My dad was one of 10 and I think only one of my aunties can speak fluently so they have been here since the 1950s and 60s so it just shows how fast you can lose the language if you are not making it central to all your family events and functions,” Dr Marsters says.
It’s also 57 years today since the Cook Islands became self-governing, and there’s an official celebration in Wellington today.
To wrap up the week, there will be a Kapa Nui’ Festival at the Vodafone Centre in Manukau this Saturday.