Week 9 Term 3 - Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week - (September 19 - 23)

Celebrating language and culture is a highlight in our school calendar. From International, Samoan and Tongan Language Week - celebrating the richness of each language week and the cultural values is a staple in our school each year. The past week, we celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week and it was an awesome experience. We celebrated, acknowledged and learnt Te Reo Maori in engaging and different ways. I am going to reflect on the ways that I celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week and what I learnt through the experience. 

HAKA: The haka is a ceremonial Māori war dance or challenge. Haka are usually performed in a group and represent a display of a tribe's pride, strength and unity. 
WAIATA: Waiata is a word in the Māori language meaning "song", and may refer to: Māori music.

One way that our students connect to their language and culture is through the arts. Music and performance is a powerful vessel in which our young people can find a sense of belonging and enjoyment, when you connect this to language and culture - young people find a deeper sense of understanding and appreciation for their culture and for the culture in general. The students were given the task to learn the school haka and a waiata to perform at a whole school assembly on Friday. Throughout the week, the students spent most of their break time rehearsing and learning the school haka in their House groups. For many of our students, they were not aware that there was a school haka so the learning process took some time, but as always our students were able to catch it, learn it and perfect. The students in Totara House spent every interval and lunch break together, learning the haka. They had a quick turn around period of 2 days to learn it then polishing on the third day. 

Totara House learning + performing the haka for Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week @ Tamaki College

We had 50 students who wanted to be part of the Totara House haka team, most of whom are not Maori. The experience - learning the language, the actions - was one where I had to stop and ask the students to really think about what are doing. We are learning something that is of us, this is something that does not belong to us culturally but one that we have the privilege of learning. The goal for Totara House with the haka was to learn it but to honor it when we presented it to the school. To honor the language and culture. The students had a great time learning the haka, especially as it is the school haka and the really felt connected to the Reo. 

Totara House Leaders + myself performing 'Whakaria Mai' 

The House Leaders and I shared the waiata that we knew - Whakaria mai - as our contribution to the Waiata competition for Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week. We chose this song as we believe that language and culture is a blessing that God has given us. We honor it and celebrate, as it is a blessing that not gives us a sense of belonging and identity but it also enriches every area of our lives. We enjoyed rehearsing this song and sharing the reo that we knew, with our school family. 

Learning the haka and waiata was a beautiful experience. It was an experience where it made me appreciate richness of the Maori language. Even more so, learning and understanding the language in the haka and waiata made me want to perfect it and honor it, as with every other language - it is special and when we are given the privilege of learning it - we must do our best and treat it with the upmost care and respect. The students had an absolute blast getting involved in the celebrations and the comments after the week's celebrations, was that they really enjoyed being part of something that they were not familiar with. They felt a togetherness with the school when they learnt and shared the school haka to each other. This was a beautiful moment for the students and the whole school family.

KOROWAI: “The Korowai is worn as a mantle of prestige and honor. The name Korowai is symbolic of leadership, and includes the obligation to care for the people and environment.”

The staff were given the task to create a korowai. The instructions were to keep it simple and small, but still create something that represents you. My korowai represents the four areas in my life that I carry with me. I carry these four areas/pillars with pride and honor.

 

• My wife - I believe that our marriage, our love and our union is anointed, purpose + covered by GOD. I carry this with me forever.
• My angels - I carry my angels with me forever.
• My faith - I carry my faith with me forever.
• My family - I carry my family with me forever.
• My korowai is held together by the tapa cloth, which symbolizes my culture and heritage - Samoa. This is something that I am very proud of. The culture - the values - that gives me grounding + a sense of purpose.

My korowai

Whilst I do not have an image of the actual korowai that I made, what it symbolizes to me is something special and heartfelt. The four parts of my korowai are pieces of my heart that I carry with me daily, parts that I bring into what I do as kaiako and in the different responsibilities that I have at work. They are parts of me that I do not turn off but embrace and hold close to my heart. I really enjoyed this part of the week's celebrations. It made me reflect on what I 'carry' and what I bring to the space as a teacher. It made me reflect on what my students 'carry' in terms of their cultural identity, family and values - what am I doing as kaiako to celebrate this? I would like to do this activity with my students - focusing on my Year 9 class - as a final assessment for the Term where they will create their own Korowai and then write what it means to them. This is one small step, in integrating and celebrating Te Reo in an English class space. I look forward to documenting this venture.