By Falaniko Tominiko
Tena Koutou Katoa, Kia Orana, Malo e Lelei, Fakalofalahi Atu, Nisa Bula Vinaka, Aloha, Iorana, Taloha Ni, Talofa Lava.
Monday of this week was the last day for submissions to the government against its proposed cutting of funds for Pacific language learning resources. This is a slap in the face to the many Pacific children who now, may not have the opportunity to learn their mother language. If you take away the language, you take away the culture. One cannot be sustained without the other. Not knowing one’s own Pacific language can actually create some problems for them. New Zealand born (and even NZ raised) Pacific children who do not know their Pacific culture and/or language can sometimes be alienated in their island homelands, and even by their own extended families, referred to as ‘fia palagi’ (wannabe white) or even worse ‘kinder surprises’ (brown on the outside, and white on the inside). I myself have been on the receiving end of such labelling.
Researches and studies have shown that children who are bilingual achieve better and the government’s move to cut funding to this particular area threatens the ability of current and future generations of Pacific children from having the ability to be bilingual, and as research suggests, “be successful”. There is a popular Samoan saying, “O fanau a manu e fafaga I fuga o la’au, a’o fanau o tagata a fafaga i upu” (the offspring of animals are fed with foliage, while offspring of humans are fed with words). This saying alludes to the importance of language. It is through language that the young generation are fed, nurtured and taught. Without it, one does not grow.
Why must it be that Pacific languages must go under the knife when it comes to government cost cuttings? Do they not know that the Pacific community is the fastest growing community in Aotearoa? Do they not know that the Pacific contains roughly a quarter of the entire world’s languages? Do they not know that Maori te reo, is a daughter language of Proto Polynesian Language, making it a sister language to almost every language in Polynesia? I guess they don’t. If they want to cut costs when it comes to our Pacific languages, then at least stop using it when it comes to speeches etc.
If the government wants to cut money from Pacific language learning resources and plug it into improving English literacy and numeracy, why not put the money into developing the text language curriculum, that way they can save money and kill two birds with one stone.
4exmpl, snce yth r bcumn mo n mo comp n fone savy y not invst $$$ n2 devlpn a lang currculm day can ol undrstnd n snce dis lang uzs bth wrds n nmbrs tz covrs bth litrcy n numrcy. Txtn s d way of d futr cos tz qwik, tz e-z n tz mch mo fun!!! Chncs r dat 1 day dis may bcum d lang f evrydy uz n wen tz duz, tz b 2 l8 2 dz anyfng bout it. So yo wot wld yo wnt, dat we concntr8 n Eng n nd up talkn n wrtng lyk dis, or cntinu supprtn our Pac langs so dat we cn lrn sumfng dat s imprtnt n usfl 2 us.
Sup
Niko