New research on te reo Māori trauma released
Media release
A new report called ‘Everyday Experiences of Te Reo Māori Trauma’ by Dr Mohi Rua was published by Te Mātāwai today, highlighting personal narratives of individuals grappling with language loss and trauma.
Five whānau were selected for the study, and the report provides a critical analysis of three participants. They are all Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and were the first generation raised after the mass urbanisation of Māori.
In this context, their intergenerational transmission was severely disrupted, and te reo was not passed onto them. As such, these whānau stories of reconnection to, and reclamation of, te reo Māori is fraught with whakamā, challenges, and how they understand their own cultural identity.
Researcher Dr Rua says te reo Māori trauma is a multifaceted issue rooted in the colonial history and injustices that contribute to socio-cultural and economic disparities for Māori today.
“The three interviewees all illustrate the profound experiences of trauma associated with the absence of te reo Māori in their upbringing, fears of making mistakes and the pressure to be proficient in te reo Māori. They share their real stories but remain anonymous,” he says.
One interviewee says that a common thing his parents shared was that they were from a generation that got a hiding, got strapped from the teachers of that time.
“If they were to speak te reo Māori or even spoke single words at school, they got a hiding…so, you can understand I guess the trauma that my parents went through and what they wanted for us. What they saw then, they thought that was the right thing, so I guess English was the way to move forward,” he said.
Te Mātāwai Hoa-Toihau Mātai Smith says the research moves our understanding of this complex topic forward, and emphasises the critical importance of te reo Māori in preserving our cultural identity.
“It highlights the various barriers caused by trauma that prevent the effective revival of te reo Māori. These participants provide good examples of successfully working through trauma in their whānau. Their stories can be a source of inspiration for other whānau to combat the ‘whakamā’ many feel with learning te reo.”
“Any initiative to overcome te reo Māori trauma needs to be interconnected with whānau, hapū, and iwi – their community and context is important for their own reo journey,” he says.
Everyday Experiences of Te Reo Māori Trauma builds on an earlier study by Roa and Roa (2023), which developed a preliminary research definition of te reo Māori trauma; te reo Māori trauma is the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual harm and distress experienced by Māori individuals due to a lack of proficiency in te reo Māori. It is also a follow up to the Manawa ū ki te reo Māori report by Te Huia, Ahu, Muller, and Fox in 2019.
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Notes to editor
· You can find read ‘Everyday Experiences of Te Reo Māori Trauma’ in te reo Māori and English on our website here(external link).
- Te Mātāwai is an independent entity, that works in partnership with the Crown to lead Māori language revitalisation for iwi Māori as kaitiaki of the Māori language. Te Mātāwai was established by Te Ture mō te Reo Māori (Māori Language Act 2016).
- Dr Mohi Rua (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Whakaue) is an Associate Professor in the School of Māori Studies, Te Wānanga o Waipapa, University of Auckland. Dr Rua is a registered psychologist who specialises in Community Psychology, Kaupapa Māori Psychology and Indigenous Psychology. Dr Rua's teaching and research is focused on Māori health inequities, social determinants of Māori health, Māori men’s health, poverty, homelessness, Kaupapa Māori research methodologies and more recently Māori and sport.