TEACHING MAORI

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 135, 5 December 1930, Page 3

TEACHING MAORI

PLEA FOR INCLUSION

MINISTER'S SYMPATHY

A plea for the inclusion of Maori in the prescription for examinations was made by a deputation representing the New Zealand Federation of Teachers which waited upon the Minister of Education (the Hon. H. Atmore) a few days ago. The Minister agreed that it was desirable that Maori should be taught in the schools. The subject was introduced by Mr. A. M. Jones, who said that ■ the Maori language was the original language of the country, and had left them a great heritage in the way of place names and lore. There was a tendency nowadays to introduce the subject of Maori into the' schools per medium of the songs and music of the schools. The Minister stated that he had five Maori songs included in the song book for the schools which was to be printed shortly. Mr. Jones said the pronunciation of Maori words was deplorable, and he felt sure that if the subject was taken up by the, teaching body betrer pronunciation would follow. The subject Maori could be included by those who desired to be certificated by taking a degree in the arts course, included in the prescription for the B.A. degree, in the matriculation examination, and also in the Public Service examination. It seemed unreasonable, therefore, that a teacher going for aC certificate should be excluded from the right to include Maori as an, optional subject. There were other reasons why the Maori language should be studied. There was an increasing interest being taken today in Maori generally, and that interest was not confined to New Zealand, but applied also to other races in the Pacific. A great deal of work was being done in collecting the lore, songs, traditions, and evidence of the culture of all-.the Polynesians and as Maori was one of the- key languages it was desirable that it should be fostered as much as possible. Then again, Maori was a language which was very pure in the vowel sound, and at present we heard- complaint about the tendency of our language to deteriorate under American influences. If the children could be taught the correct pronunciation.of Maori vowels, there was no doubt it would react very favourably•■ on the spoken English. As a member of the Polynesian Society. he knew that Mr. Elsdon Best and Mr. Johannes Andersen were quite in accord in the matter, as no doubt were other members—-Sir Apirana Ngata and Bishop Williams. The Board of Ethnological Besearch was gathering all sorts of information, and a great deal, of this was not being translated into English, but was being left in original Maori, hence those who desired to study it should be acquainted with a knowledge of the' Maori language.' ■ • . The Minister said he was a strong believer in the inclusion of, Maori; in. fact, he was heretic enough to say that it was-probably more important, for a New Zealander to have a knowledge of Maori than it was for him to be acquainted with the, French language. Probably not more than 2 per cent, of New Zealanders would ever .find the necessity ' for a knowledge of. French, especially when one considered that all the best works were translated into English. It might be urged that the learning of a foreign language was of great value, so far as mental discipline was concerned, but he- contended that mental discipline could be obtained in the study1 of more practical subjectssubjects in closer touch with the realities of,,'life. Ho felt strongly'on the point,'and anything he could do in the matter.would be done. New Zealanders to-day did not know Maori; many did not know.tho history of the Maori race, otherwise they . would have a higher appreciation. Mr. Jones was correct in saying that we would speak better English if we knew more Maori. With probably the. exception' of the Italians, there was no raco that made such miisicaluse of the vowels as the Maoris. . ' , '.