Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is celebrating 50 years of language revitalisation. Capsule’s Vivien Beduya spoke to Charissa Waerea, a kaiako te reo Māori, to tell us her own learning journey of the reo. Plus, she shares ngā rerenga kōrero (phrases) for us to use and add to our vocabulary.
Charissa Waerea (Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tuwharetoa kei Taupō) says her first language is unfortunately English, despite being a kaiako te reo Māori for 35 years.
“I had been robbed of my mother tongue.”
She says her parents grew up in an era of corporal punishment in native schools, when children were hit for speaking te reo Māori.
“There was a deep intergenerational disconnect and a real fear of institutional oppression of the state,” says Charissa.
Because of this, she says she wanted to learn te reo Māori at a young age, as she instinctively knew she would one day pass it on to her tamariki and mokopuna.
She wanted them to know te reo Māori as their birthright, she says, because she wasn’t afforded the same opportunity.
At school, she made the most of the opportunity to learn te reo Māori at the age of 10.
“I was in a bilingual unit at Kapiti College, where our kaiako taught us the tuakana tēina model, which involves older students teaching younger students in groups and pairs,” says Charissa.
“By the time I was 15, I was teaching other pupils and peers, not just in te reo Māori but tīkanga marae and kapahaka as well.”
Now a māmā of seven and grandmother of three, Charissa was able to raise them in a Te Reo Māori anake (only) environment.
Plus, she teaches the reo to board governance members, tūmuaki chief executives, managers and organisational teams.
She’s also a board member of Graduate Women Canterbury Trust, and holds a Bachelor of Māori Laws and Philosophy and Bachelor of Te Reo Māori.
Learning Te Reo Māori means Understanding Te Ao Māori
Learning te reo Māori is a never-ending journey, says Charissa, and it is intertwined with understanding te ao Māori (the Māori world).
She looks back at a time she had her own heartbreak as a māmā.
In the early days of the pandemic lockdowns, her son Tuwhakararo Hohaia had an accident and passed away at the age of 10.
She says they were able to conduct the poroporoaki (farewell to the dead) all in te reo Māori, something she found empowering not just for herself, but also her whānau.
Throughout the years, she says te reo Māori me ōnā tīkanga (the protocols that go with the Māori language) has helped her in her grief, as it allows her to spiritually connect with her son everyday.
“Through waiata tāwhito (ancient songs), we acknowledge all of our ancestors who have gone before us.
“Tuwhakararo is now an ancestor, a tūpuna, and is with our atua (creators), so he is personified in nature, trees, the sea, the birds; he is everywhere.
“One day in the future, we will be back together. Kei roto i te kōpu o Papatūānuku, within the womb of our Earth Mother.
“I know he is safe there.”
Her Advice for Beginners
If you have been thinking about learning te reo Māori, or are in the early stages of learning it, or if this article is inspiring you to learn, here’s a piece of encouragement from Charissa:
Kia kōre āi te reo Māori, e ngaro pērā ki te moa
Let’s not let te reo Māori become extinct like the moa
And as for some practical tips for beginners, here’s her advice: “Start with the basics, like the correct vowel sounds for A E I O U. This helps in pronouncing places and people’s names correctly.
“There is mana in the correct pronunciation of all names, no matter the origin. Give it time and speak the vowels aloud to ensure you have the correct sound first before speaking.”
Ngā Rerenga Kōrero
Now that’s locked in, here are the ngā rerenga kōrero (phrases) we can learn for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori and hopefully for use in our everyday lives.
For Māmā and Pēpī
1. Ko te mea nui Ko te Aroha = The most important thing is LOVE!
2. He kākānō ahau i ruia mai i Rangiatea = I am a seed of Rangiātea
3. Aroha mai, aroha atu = Love received, love returned
4. E te tau = My darling
5. Kātahi, na te tamaiti mōhio koe = What a clever child you are
Tamariki tōno = commands
1. E kai te waiū = Eat or drink your breastmilk
2. Tiakina tō tēina = Care for your younger siblings
3. Kia ngawari koe = Be Gentle
4. Kia māia, kia manawanui = Be brave and steadfast
Ngā rerenga kōrero mate = Grief Proverbs
1. Ko te pō te kaihari i te rā, ko te mate te kaihari i te oranga = Night is the bringer of day, death is the bringer of life (Te Whiti o Rongomai 1881)
2. Mate atu he toa, haere mai rā he toa = When one leader dies, another is born
3. Mai te kōpae ki te urupā tātou ako tōnu āi = From the cradle to the grave, we continue to learn
4. Ū tōnu, ahakoa ngā piki me ngā heke = Be firm, even with the ups and downs of life
