Maori Language

The Maori Language and People

The Maori is the group of native peoples that have lived on the island of New Zealand for many centuries.  The Maori language is their native tongue. New Zealand was one of the last places on Earth to be inhabited by people. It is believed that at the end of the first millennium (1 AD-1000 AD), Polynesian travelers migrated to the region and settled there, where they evolved into the Maori. Their language, Maori, is a Polynesian language that is spoken exclusively by them. The language no doubt came to New Zealand with the Polynesian explorers, either from Cook Island or Tahiti. That is why the Maori language remains similar to, but not the same as, the tongues of the Cook Islands and Tahitian Island.

The Maori language has had a turbulent history for the last 200 years. It was the principal language of New Zealand until the 1860's when it became a marginal language in favor of English, which was introduced by English settlers. From the 1880's Maori was forbidden in the schools, and around the same time, an English school system was established in New Zealand. The "primitive" Maori language was unfortunately replaced with the more suitable and "civilized" English language, and all but eradicated.

By the 1980's, less than 20% of the Maori population of New Zealand could speak the Maori language fluently. It was around this time when Maori leaders began to recognize the threat of losing this integral part of their heritage forever. They initiated revival and revitalization programs intended to re-educate adults and educate young Maori individuals in the native tongue.  Some of these programs immersed infants in the Maori language starting at infancy, and went through to school age. They even established a Maori primary school.  The Maori language is spoken almost solely in New Zealand today. More than 100,000 individuals, mostly of Maori descent, are able to speak Maori.

There is no indigenous system of writing for the Maori language.  They did have a script of carving signs and other communication methods, but no formal written language to correspond to Maori.  When settlers began arriving to the region, it became apparent that some kind of written communications system was necessary.  Missionaries then began trying to transliterate the language in the Roman alphabet at the beginning of the 19th century.  A written language was made official in 1820.  The written Maori language has changed little since.

Interestingly, the Maori were very excited at the concept of reading and writing. They embraced literacy completely. In the 1820's missionaries gave an account of enthusiastic Maori people teaching each other to read and write, and were so anxious to utilize their new-found skill, they began writing on whatever materials were available when writing paper and implements were not. Some of these materials included leaves, wood, and animal skins, and they would use pieces of charcoal as writing implements.

Today thanks in part to the efforts to return the Maori language to its rightful place, the Maori people, it is one of two official languages on New Zealand. The other official language is, of course, English. In fact, many government agencies and municipal building display signs and information in 2 languages: English and Maori. And many words and phrase common to the English speakers in New Zealand have their roots firmly planted in the Maori language.

The Maori people, an indigenous group that live on the Polynesian Island of New Zealand, have a long and colorful history. Their language, brought to the region with the original Polynesian settlers, evolved over time into a tongue truly their own.  When the English came to the region, they attempted to suppress the native peoples by taking one of the most important things away from them, their Maori language. They tried to force English upon them.  And for a time, it was successful. Over time though, it became obvious that the Maori language was part of the fabric of the history of New Zealand, and efforts have been made to restore the native tongue, and unite the native world with the modern.

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