Author: Dr Renée Gilgen
Date of Publication: November 2018
Series Title: Scottish Languages Review Issue 35
This article draws from a qualitative PhD research study and presents some of the challenges experienced by a small cohort of Māori primary school teachers who were mostly raised in urban neighbourhoods located away from their own traditional tribal regions. The impact of not being fluent in their indigenous Māori language influenced their self-confidence to engage in traditional cultural experiences as Māori and as Māori schoolteachers. A cultural self-identity continuum was developed as a research outcome and reflects how Māori identity is underpinned by whakapapa (genealogical connections, lineage, descent), experience with tikanga Māori (Māori values and beliefs, protocols) and te reo Māori (Māori language). The continuum is a self-reflective tool that serves to respect and affirm diverse cultural realities experienced by Māori teachers positioned in 21st century English-medium state schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand.