When did you last need help?
Miriama | Tauranga
By reconnecting with te reo Māori, and discovering the community that came with it, Miriama found strength to overcome mental health challenges that had left her in the darkness.
“He whakapono te kōrero, ko tēnei tau te tau o te whakahokinga ki te ao Māori, o te hononga ki ōku tīpuna, te honoga ki tō tātou reo. Ko te take i haere ai au ki konei kia ako ai te reo Māori, hei mōrehu. He mea te reo Māori ki ahau, he mea te ao Māori ki ahau ki te haere tonu ki tēnei ao, ki te haere ora tonu. Ahakoa i taua wā he nui te taimaha o te mate pāpōuri, o te mate āwangawanga. Āe, nā te pukumahi o tēnei kaupapa [Te Tohu Paetahi], nā te hapori o te kāhui kaiako, te kāhui tauira. Āe, me kore ake i a rātou kei konei tonu au. Āe.
I te wāhanga tuatahi o te tau, i taua wā, ahakoa ngā hua pai i konei, ōna wheako i konei, kua rongo tonu ahau i te taumahatanga o te mate pāpōuri. Nā, tāria te wā, kua tangohia ētahi o ngā wheako kino ōku, kua haere mai ētahi atu wheako mana motuhake. Āe, wheako tino whakamana ki ahau. Ko tērā te take i whakahoki tōku mauri.
He mea tino hōhonu tērā ki ahau.”
English translation:
“I firmly believe this year has been a year of returning to te ao Māori, of connecting to my ancestors and connecting to our language. The reason I came here was to learn te reo Māori, as a survivor. Te reo Māori to me, the Māori world to me, is something that keeps me going, that keeps me well. Although at that time I was depressed and anxious.
It’s because of the hard work of this initiative [Te Tohu Paetahi], of the community – the community of teachers and the community of students. It’s because of them that I’m still here. During the first part of the year, despite all the benefits and experiences from here, I still felt heavy and depressed. Over time, some of the bad experiences have been replaced by empowering experiences. Yeah, empowering experiences.
That’s why my life essence has returned and that’s a very profound thing for me.”
Our question for kaikōrero this month was “when did you last need help?” We learned about the diverse demands on the lives of New Zealanders and the incredible support networks they rely on. We got to meet three fresh graduates of Te Tohu Paetahi, the University of Waikato’s one-year immersion te reo Māori language programme, and spoke to them about the impact reclaiming their language has had on their lives.
