Māori Promotion Poster

Tēnā koutou! I'm working on a longer post on the benefits of self-studying, but in the meantime, let me present you with my newest school project. Since I'm doing the International Baccalaureate, I need to complete a program called CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) in order to pass (sigh…). In case you had no idea, learning Māori is my way to cover the Service strand. 

So yeah, I made this poster to inspire younger students to do the same. Enjoy my graphic design skills :D

Māori, I'm Back!

Kia ora, I feel a little guilty for neglecting my duties towards CAS and the people of Aotearoa, but here I am – back after a draining, all-consuming exam week (or more specifically "exam month"). Kei te ruha – I'm exhausted!

Here we go. I'm writing this post as I revise all the things I've learned so far over the course of this blog. 

One, two, what? 

I start counting and immediately stumble at the word for three (toru). What a promising start. 

But then I refresh my mind on the principles of CAS (it's an IB alternative for art, music and PE lessons plus some community service added) that very clearly emphasize the meaning of perseverance and commitment on each project, and with a frustrated sigh I carry on revising. A bit of brainwash to keep me going. 

This is what language learning is. Nobody learns to speak a foreign tongue through dreams and fantasies. You gotta work for it, girl. Sometimes it hurts equal to a set of pushups, but shortly after you start to notice how the strength you've been building up is letting you lift a heavy package with little effort, and those small dopamine rushes feel intoxicating, even inhumanely good. 

I'm not saying that it's easy for me, to force the chains of self-control upon me while being constantly tugged at from all directions by the internet, friends and more relaxing hobbies… But I keep going. For now. Wish me luck and lots of CAS hours.

PS. My textbook arrived on Friday. Turns out, it wasn't from the 90s as I expected, but a very old book written in 1950s. However I find the old English language pleasant to read, it gives the whole thing a certain Dark Academia vibe – if that's even a thing anymore! So yeah, let's have some Maori (yes, without the tōhutō :D) for bedtime reading. 

(Fun) resources for learning

When learning a new language, I always try my best to dive in to the world of its speakers. Currently, I am looking for a cheap Māori textbook (I'm probably going to get this), but in the meantime I need to keep myself occupied with te reo in other ways. I did some research and found these great sites/programs for learning. 

Tōku reo

This series started when I was two years old. Tōku reo is an English-speaking language learning show, its name literally meaning "my language". Based on the 10 episodes I've watched, it seems like an easy way to build up vocabulary. The hosts maintain a light atmosphere and I find their methods surprisingly efficient (revision, revision, revision!). So yeah, if you don't mind the series' worn-out 2000s look and slow progression, I recommend checking it out. 

Māori+ (Whakaata Māori)

This bilingual "Netflix" of the Whakaata Māori TV channel has proven fun and useful. All movies and series have English subtitles, and the website features multiple language learning shows (Tōku reo included). And yes, there is rugby (ugh) too. 

Keep in mind that if you want to access Māori+ outside of New Zealand or Australia, you'll need to use a VPN to mask your location. I downloaded TunnelBear, because it lets me change my IP address at will. The only con with TunnelBear is that the free version comes with a limit of 2GB of browsing per account (that is enough to stream Māori+ for approximately 2 hours) To overcome this obstacle, I recommend turning on the VPN when clicking at the episode you want to watch, and then quickly deactivating it. That way it'll last virtually infinitely. In other words, a VPN is only required for opening the episode on your browser, not for watching it. 

Here's a list of some shows I've used to support my learning:

–Only in Aotearoa (comedy)

–Brain Busters (children)

–Reo Awhina (comedy)

Yeah, I'm a comedy girl.

Speak Māori

Speak Māori is intended for tamariki (children!), but it works for an older audience as well. The course is taught by an animated couple who, in my opinion, occasionally dip into the uncanny valley… However it is voiced by the real life sports commentator Te Aorere Pēwhairangi and his sister Te Ataakura. 

This course is a good start into Māori, but you'll probably want to use additional resources too. 

Ka kite anō, see you next time!

Introduction

Kia ora, koutou! It's a shame that they require a subscription on Quizlet for things apart from flashcards. Guess we're gonna have to do with flashcards, then.

Hello everyone! My name is Kata. I'm an IB student in Finland and I write this blog for my CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) program. Although I mainly do this for the CAS hours, I have a great inner passion for learning the beautiful language of Aotearoa. 

I am deeply concerned for the well-being of small languages, and surprisingly, the Māori language is only 100 times smaller in speaker count than my own native language is (according to Wikipedia, 50 000 for Māori and around 5 000 000 for Finnish). I find the ever-growing influence of big, worldwide languages a threat to the existence of minority languages (and other globally insignificant tongues). But I believe that everyone can make a difference.

Honestly, don't let people get under your skin. If you want to learn a language (Māori, Finnish, English or whatever on earth makes you tick) go for it – karawhiua! You don't need to become fluent. Every new word you learn will broaden your worldview. No matter what you do, somebody will still label you as "weird". Anyway, that's it for the pep talk. 

This blog will focus on documenting my progress and experience, so it's not intended as an educational resource. However, I hope that it will inspire you, my fellow learner, in your te reo Māori learning journey and give you new ideas to spice up your studies.