RACIAL PRIDE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 14, 17 January 1925, Page 7

RACIAL PRIDE

' DYING NATIVE TONGUE.

The danger of loss of racial pride among Maoris of the present and future generations was the subject of a short discussion at the conference of the Native Teachers' Association at Auckland. . The president (Mr. Coghlan) said there was every reason to fear that Maoris were losing their racial pride. Some of the younger generation refrained from doing certain things because they were considered "merely Maori" and beneath them. That was a great pity. When a race lost its racial pride it did not amount to much. Every effort should be made to foster racial pride among them. He moved that the association should recommend the Department of Education to allow teachers reasonable liberty in introducing in their programme of work suitable Maori folk songs, handwork, a simple war dance, the haka, and poi movements.; „ The meeting decided that a letter should be sent to the Department embodying the motion. There was also a danger that the Maori language might die out, said the president. Indeed, some Maoris could only speak English. The other day at Opotiki, he met Sir James Carroll who bemoaned the fact that the young Maoris of to-day did not speak proper Maori, a hey used a sort of pidgeon English It would be no hardship on young Maoris if they were compelled to learn the Maori language. Mr. Coghlan moved that the University Senate of New Zealand should be asked to make it compulsory for all Maoris sitting for the mutriculatipn examination to take Maori as a language. Tlio motion was carried, and it was yusolved, further, on the proposal of t^e president, that the. Senate should beasiiff) ta set a higher SUWJnrrl In Miwi'l iv Urn axaaujutioOtf -