Twenty marae across Northland want to grow the number of whānau who can speak te reo Māori ... in sign language.
The He Aha course aims to help improve communication with tangata turi. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
An eight week course, He Aha, is about to get underway to help whānau improve communication with tangata turi.
It will teach New Zealand Sign language and incorporate signing Māori words and concepts.
One of the tutors is Eddie Hokianga of Ngāti Kahungunu who has been teaching sign language for 27 years.
He is deaf - tangata turi - which he said had at times been a barrier to culture.
Speaking in sign through interpreter Diane Goodall, he said it could be difficult to participate on the marae, or learn the kōrero of a language heavy on oratory.
"I remember a time when there a kaumata came to talk to us and he was speaking beautiful te reo but I couldn't access it because the interpreter couldn't understand and then interpret it into New Zealand sign language for me so that's also a barrier to accessing," said Goodall for Eddie Hokianga.
Hokianga is helping develop a Māori sign language: ringa tohu reo.
It includes concepts like whakapapa, and words like hangi and offers a way to convey karanga for tangata turi.
The pulling of the hands to say marae, the meeting of fingers to say maunga.
He is working with iwi across the motu to try and incorporate dialects, too.
It was crucial that whānau helped tangata turi and tangata whaikaha with their culture, Hokianga said.
"I've seen young people before when they go to their marae for the first time and they just head through the gate and into the kitchen, that's a mistake that I made as a young man and I was told very firmly that I needed to wait outside and karanga'd on to the marae but I hadn't been told that before. No one had been able to explain that to me before," Goodall translated for Hokianga.
There was a huge need for trilingual interpreters - those who spoke te reo, English, and New Zealand Sign Language, Hokianga said.
He is working with Kim Robinson of Deaf Action New Zealand, and the pair are about to start work with 20 marae across Te Tai Tokerau.
Also speaking through interpreter Diane Goodall, Robinson said removing barriers was vital.
"I think by taking sign language classes out to the marae we're making them readily available for people in the community and a number of marae having classes, I think we're feeding the language back to the community," Goodall said for Robinson.
Ngāti Hine leader and the chair of Motatau Marae, Pita Tipene, sympathises with the problem of barriers faced by Māori who are deaf.
He is also the chair of the Waitangi National Trust, and has witnessed it many times.
"I'm very aware that those who are trying to inform the deaf community about what's being said in Māori are seriously disadvantaged because they don't have the interpreters who can interpret te reo Māori and put it in to sign language for others to understand," Tipene said.
He has been learning some sign from his mokopuna, who are learning at kura kaupapa.
Tipene wants the classes at Motatau Marae.
"Not only to be a part of it but to be part of the leadership. We have to be cognisant of a whole lot of other people who have various disabilities, so yes we have to be very active in this space and I'm just pleased that we have champions who not only bring it to our notice but do something about it," Tipene said.
Around 20,000 New Zealanders are able to communicate using sign language.
But speaking through interpreter Diane Goodall, Robinson said there was still a long way to go.
"I think that it's important that people like police officers, doctors, hospitals even people in shops and cafes [can sign]. The more people that are signing and can communicate with deaf people, the more friendly it is for us while we're out in the community," Goodall said for Robinson.
The classes are set to start around the end of September/ early October.
